US delays sending Joint Direct Attack Munitions to Israel: Report
The United States government has delayed the sale of thousands of precision weapons to its ally Israel amid its war on Gaza, a report says quoting current and former US officials.
The administration of President Joe Biden has been criticised over its policy of arming Israel, which critics say violates US laws banning military aid and weapon sales to countries engaged in rights abuses. Seven months of Israeli bombardment and siege on the Gaza Strip have killed nearly 35,000 people and wounded almost 80,000, with Israel facing accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which it denies.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on Monday that the proposed deal involved up to 6,500 Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs) – guidance kits that turn unguided bombs into precision-guided munitions.
US law requires Congress to be notified of major foreign military sales agreements. The Department of State usually provides information to the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee before such potential sales, followed by the formal congressional notification.
Congress was first informed about the sale – estimated at $260m – in January but the Biden administration has yet to move forward, according to the WSJ. The administration’s lack of follow-up action with an official notification about the sale has triggered an effective pause in the deal, the publication said.
“It’s unusual, especially for Israel, especially during a war,” a congressional official familiar with the arms sales process told the WSJ.
The official said, however, they were not aware of the reason for the delay.
Seth Binder, an expert on US arms sales with the Middle East Democracy Center, told the WSJ that if the delay was deliberate, it “would be the first instance since this war began where the administration took such an action on weapons we know have been used in Gaza”.
