The Donald Trump administration has moved forward with the sale of more than 20,000 assault rifles to Israel, delayed by former US President Joe Biden, Reuters reported.
The State Department notified Congress on March 6 of the $24 million sale, which said the end user would be the Israeli National Police. The sale attracted attention when the Biden administration delayed it over concerns that the weapons could fall into the hands of Israeli settlers, some of whom have carried out attacks on Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
The Biden administration has imposed sanctions on individuals and entities accused of committing violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where settler attacks on Palestinians have increased. On his first day in office, on January 20, Trump issued an executive order lifting U.S. sanctions on Israeli settlers. Since then, his administration has approved billions of dollars worth of arms sales to Israel.
The March 6 congressional notification noted that the U.S. government considered political, military, economic, human rights, and arms control considerations.
Following the 1967 Middle East War, Israel has occupied the West Bank, which the Palestinians want as the core of their independent state, and has built settlements that most countries consider illegal.
Trump has built close ties with Netanyahu, promising to support Israel in its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. His administration has in some cases continued arms sales to Israel despite demands from Democratic lawmakers to halt the sales until they receive more information.
The U.S. Senate overwhelmingly rejected a proposal to block $8.8 billion in arms sales to Israel over human rights concerns, voting 82-15 and 83-15 to reject two resolutions of disapproval regarding sales of massive bombs and other offensive military equipment. The resolutions were introduced by Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont.