WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. has approved $20 billion in arms sales to Israel, including scores of fighter jets and advanced air-to-air missiles, the State Department announced Tuesday.
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Congress was notified of the impending sale, which includes more than 50 F-15 fighter jets, Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles, or AMRAAMs, 120 mm tank ammunition and high explosive mortars and tactical vehicles and comes at a time of intense concern that Israel may become involved in a wider Middle East war.
However, the weapons are not expected to get to Israel anytime soon, they are contracts that will take years to fulfill. Much of what is being sold is to help Israel increase its military capability in the long term.
“The United States is committed to the security of Israel, and it is vital to U.S. national interests to assist Israel to develop and maintain a strong and ready self-defense capability. This proposed sale is consistent with those objectives,” the State Department said in a release on the sale.
The Biden administration has had to balance its continued support for Israel with a growing number of calls from lawmakers and the U.S. public to curb military support there due to the high number of civilian deaths in Gaza. It has curbed one delivery of 2,000-pound weapons amid continued airstrikes by Israel in densely populated civilian areas in Gaza.
The contracts will cover not only the sale of new 50 aircraft to be produced by Boeing. It will also include upgrade kits for Israel to modify its existing fleet of two dozen F-15 fighter jets with new engines and radars, among other upgrades. The jets comprise the biggest portion of the $20 billion in sales with the first deliveries expected in 2029.
This was long voted by the republican house, and it’s not given to Israel only in few years. Don’t fall for Obama /Harris election stunt , once she gets (GD forbid) she’ll do whatever Talib Omar Obama tells her to do.
Losing the Jewish vote. So let’s sell Isreal weapons that will come in several years while we still without munitions they already paid for. And stupid Jews will praise us
Thank you President Biden and Vice President Harris..
interesting announcement. it clumps together 5 years’ worth of short-, medium- and long-term transfers, to arrive at the largest possible number. why? for political purposes, a series of smaller announcements would have more impact by stay in the news cycle a lot longer. or maybe it was intended to take some of the heat off military aid to ukraine. or maybe it’s a move to undermine american grass-roots support for israel, by exaggerating the cost to uncle sam. or even worse, blinken will use this as leverage to demand even more concessions to hamas, in return.