It’s unclear when Congress will consider a new arms deal, but it could spark pushback from some lawmakers.
Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen was critical of the decision, telling The Washington Post, External The United States should not make any additional arms transfers until the Netanyahu administration addresses President Biden’s concerns about Rafah and the delivery of humanitarian aid.
A U.S. State Department report last week found that the use of some U.S.-made weapons supplied to Israel may have violated international law.
While the report explicitly condemned some Israeli actions in Gaza, it did not explicitly state that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) actions violated international law.
It added that Israel’s assurances of compliance with the lawful use of U.S. weapons were “credible and reliable.”
It is the first package sent to Congress since the Biden administration last week suspended arms transfers to Israel.
He said he delayed sending 2,000 pounds (900 kilograms) of bombs to Israel because they might be used in such ground operations.
Asked by CNN about the delays, Biden said: “These bombs are killing civilians in Gaza.”
Transferring weapons to Israel has become Biden’s political responsibility ahead of the 2024 White House election this November.
News of the latest weapons plans came shortly after voting in Maryland’s presidential primary closed, with activists urging voters to register for protest ballots against what they see as Biden’s favoritism for Israel over the Gaza war.
Republicans in Congress have introduced legislation aimed at preventing further suspensions of arms shipments to U.S. allies.
The House of Representatives will vote this week on a measure that would require the State and Defense Departments to ensure “timely delivery” of military equipment.
The White House has vowed to veto the bill if it can pass the Senate, but that’s unlikely.
On October 7, Hamas launched a cross-border attack on southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking 252 people hostage. Israel launched a military operation to destroy the organization.
Since then, more than 35,170 people have been killed in Gaza, 82 of them in the past 24 hours, according to the health ministry in Gaza, which is governed by Hamas.
