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February 4, 2025 | 02:20 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Trump administration has sought U.S. congressional approval to transfer about $1 billion worth of bombs and other military equipment to Israel, even as Washington seeks to enforce a fragile ceasefire in Gaza, a report said Monday, as reported by Anadolu Agency.
The Wall Street Journal, citing U.S. officials familiar with the sale, reported that the proposed arms transfers include 4,700 1,000-pound bombs worth more than $700 million, along with Caterpillar-made armored bulldozers worth more than $300 million.
The report added that the request would be paid for from the annual U.S. military aid allocated to Israel, which amounts to $3.3 billion in foreign military financing.
U.S. congressional approval is required for major foreign arms sales, with the State Department notifying key committees before proceeding. The House Foreign Affairs and Senate Foreign Relations committees must approve the transfers before they can be completed.
The State Department did not immediately respond to Anadolu Agency's request for comment.
The request comes amid a visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Washington, where he will meet with President Donald Trump on Tuesday to discuss a ceasefire in Gaza and wider regional tensions.
The new proposal comes after the Biden administration, in its final days in office, “informally” notified the U.S. Congress of a proposed $8 billion arms deal with Israel, including ammunition for fighter jets and artillery shells.
The U.S. has faced criticism for providing military aid to Israel, which has committed genocide in Gaza and killed more than 47,500 Palestinians, mostly women and children.
Nearly 1,200 people were killed in a cross-border offensive led by the Palestinian group Hamas on October 7, 2023, according to Israeli figures.
Amid a ceasefire and a hostage swap deal in Gaza on January 19, Israel has intensified violence in the occupied West Bank. More than 900 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and Israeli settlers since October, according to local authorities. The dead included a two-year-old child shot by Israeli soldiers while eating dinner.
Several human rights groups, former State Department officials and Democratic lawmakers have urged the U.S. government to halt arms transfers to Israel, citing violations of U.S. law, including the Leahy Act, as well as international and human rights law.
The Leahy Act, named after former Sen. Patrick Leahy, requires the U.S. to withhold military assistance from a foreign military or law enforcement unit if there is credible evidence of human rights violations.
U.S.-made weapons have been documented in several Israeli attacks on Gaza that have resulted in civilian casualties, although American authorities have refused to confirm that fact.
A U.S. State Department report in May said it was “reasonable to assess” that Israel was using U.S.-made weapons in a manner inconsistent with international humanitarian law. The report stopped short of reaching a definitive conclusion, saying it lacked “complete information.”
Editor's Choice: Arab Foreign Ministers Reject Trump Call for Transfer of Palestinians
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