WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden’s government has declared a $735 million purchase of precision-guided weapons to Israel, according to press reports.
Citing sources knowledgeable about the problem, The Washington Post said on Tuesday the Congress was formally advised of the planned sale May 5, almost a week prior to the battle escalated between the Israeli forces and Palestinian militants from Gaza, reports Xinhua news agency.
The proposed sale involves the joint direct attack munitions (JDAM) and also GBU-39 small diameter bombs, according to The Washington Post.
In another report, The Hill news site stated that the window Congress to obstruct the sale is closed.
“The telling before this month set a 15-day clock for Congress to behave.
There are just four days in that window, and it requires 10 days after per resolution of disapproval was introduced before somebody could induce a vote to make it into the ground.” Many Democrats raised concerns regarding the earnings since shelling and airstrikes continued in Gaza, resulting in over 200 civilian casualties on either side.
“While I’ve supported security support to Israel, for example by financing the Iron Dome defense program, I have significant issues regarding the timing of the firearms purchase,” House Democrat Joaquin Castro said in an declaration.
“The message will send into Israel and the entire world concerning the urgency of a ceasefire, and the open questions regarding the legality of Israel’s military strikes which have killed civilians from Gaza,” he further added.
Biden on Monday expressed support for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas at a telephone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The call came as the Biden’s government faced mounting pressure by a bunch of Democratic senators advocating an immediate ceasefire to avoid loss of life.
The continuing struggle, the worst violence between Israel and the surrounded Palestinian enclave because 2014, has murdered 204 Palestinians, including 59 children, and 10 Israelis.
