The United States will send an additional $3.5bn to Israel to spend on US-made weapons and military equipment, the Department of State has said, as the deadly war in Gaza continues into its 10th month and amid claims of widespread Israeli military abuses in the occupied Palestinian territory.
A State Department spokesperson said on Friday that the department had notified Congress on Thursday that the Biden administration intended to release billions of dollars worth of foreign military financing to Israel.
US broadcast media first reported on the release of the funds, which comes from a $14.5bn supplemental funding bill for Israel passed by the Congress in April. The supplemental budget comes on top of the more than $3bn in annual US military aid to Israel.
Part of the new financial aid will go to an Israeli military unit, which is accused of carrying out human rights abuses against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. The State Department said it had decided against sanctioning the unit – which would have been the first-ever blocking of aid to the Israeli military – saying it was satisfied with Israeli efforts to address “violations by this unit” which have been “effectively remediated”.
While the US has not publicly named the unit, it is believed to be Israel’s Netzah Yehuda battalion, which has historically been based in the occupied West Bank.
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Washington is set to provide Israel with $3.5 billion to spend on US weapons and military equipment, releasing the money months after it was appropriated by the US Congress, CNN reported on Friday, citing sources familiar with the matter.
ReplyDeleteThe State Department notified lawmakers on Thursday night that the government intended to release the billions of dollars worth of foreign military financing to Israel, CNN reported, adding that the money comes from the $14.1 billion supplemental funding bill for Israel passed in April.
Sources also told the multinational news source that it takes time for the money to be released from these packages, and also that Israel won't receive the $3.5 billion worth of American-made weapons immediately.