Bombs, Guns, Treasure: What Israel Wants, The U.S. Gives

Israel’s exceptional status in US arms policy and law ensures that unending military aid is shielded from scrutiny over human rights abuses.

by Connor Echols, The New Arab

Close watchers of Israel’s war in Gaza have faced a question in recent months: If the US is rushing weapons to Israel, then why hasn’t the public heard of any arms sales besides two relatively small transfers late last year?

The Washington Post delivered an answer last week. Reporter John Hudson revealed that the Biden administration has approved over 100 smaller weapons packages for Israel since 7 October that fell under the $25 million threshold for formally notifying Congress – and thus the public – about the transfers.

In total, these mini-sales could add up to more than $1 billion worth of US military aid.

missiles sit in a lot near Israeli army personnel

The decision to deliver US aid in smaller packages is far from unusual. The US government has done so in the past for practical and nefarious purposes alike; only about 2% of weapons transfers occur above the threshold to notify Congress, according to former officials.

But what is abnormal is the fact that many of those weapons were likely pre-positioned on Israeli territory before the war. Unlike other countries, Israel has a stockpile of American weapons on its soil to which it has privileged access.