WASHINGTON – US President Joe Biden bypassed Congress for a second time this month to approve another emergency arms sale for Israel amid its ongoing war in the besieged Gaza Strip, his administration announced yesterday (today in Malaysia).
Secretary of State Antony Blinken notified Congress that an emergency existed, requiring him to circumvent the traditional congressional notification period for foreign military sales in order to approve the immediate sale of an estimated US$147.5 million (RM677.7 million) worth of M107 155mm artillery shells and related equipment.
That includes fuses, primers and charges, reported Anadolu Agency.
The State Department said the notification, which included Blinken’s “detailed justification” was delivered yesterday.
The artillery shells will be transferred from existing US stocks.
Over 21,500 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli attacks in Gaza since October 7, with nearly 56,000 others injured, according to local health authorities.
Israel’s decision to sharply curtail the flow of humanitarian aid has further compounded a dire humanitarian catastrophe with roughly two million people internally displaced, and many reliant on aid deliveries for daily necessities such as food, water and medicine. – December 30, 2023