White House Pushes Congress To Approve $6BN Weapons Sale To Israel

Despite growing international pressure on the Netanyahu government, which has of late admitted it is coming under increasing global isolation due to the Gaza war, the Trump administration plans to keep the arms flows going stronger than ever.

The White House has requested congressional approval for a nearly $6 billion arms deal with Israel, according to The Wall Street Journal, citing US government sources.

The proposed package includes 30 AH-64 Apache attack helicopters valued at $3.8 billion, which would nearly double Israel’s current fleet, as well as 3,250 infantry fighting vehicles - at $1.9 billion.

But delivery of the weapons is expected to take two to three years, and at the current rate of destruction the Gaza Strip could likely be complete rubble by then, amid the Israeli military’s push to expel Palestinian inhabitants while fighting Hamas.

Trump is said to be deeply frustrated with Prime Minister Netanyahu over the Doha operation earlier this month, but certainly this public stance doesn’t square with promise of $6 billion more in weapons. It’s yet another example of watch what Trump does and not what he says.

“The arms would be paid for by U.S.-provided foreign military financing, according to the documents,” WSJ details. “Israel buys most of its American-made weapons using U.S. taxpayer money that comes via billions of dollars in annual military aid.”

And it’s of course arms-makers and the major defense contractors who will remain the big winners, as the tragic war approaches the two-year mark.

“At this stage, the State Department is seeking the approval of the four top Republican and Democratic leaders of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the people familiar with the request said,” WSJ continues.

“The leaders of the two panels usually must sign off on major foreign weapons deals before the administration sends wider notification to Congress and the public,” the report adds.

The White House has presented that it is seeking a truce deal and return of the hostages, but President Trump has several times made clear that Netanyahu is the final-decision maker. Like with Ukraine, it doesn’t seem like real pressure has ever been brought to bear on this close US ally.