After an initial blockade, the Biden administration advances in a purchase of weapons for Israel of $1 billion

Joe Biden advances efforts to allocate $1 billion in weapons for Israel. After the block of weapons for the military incursion in Rafah, which strained the relationship with the Jewish State and provoked Democratic and Republican criticism, the president seeks to mend his relationship with Benjamin Netanyahu.

As reported by The Wall Street Journal, based on a dialogue with officials, the money shipment will include $700 million in ammunition for tanks, $500 million in tactical vehicles and $60 million in projectiles.

“The Biden administration notified Congress on Tuesday that it was moving forward with more than $1 billion in new arms deals for Israel,” The WSJ noted.

The decision comes after the arms blockade for the Israeli military raid on Rafah, during which the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) eliminated Ahmed Ali, commander-in-chief of Hamas naval forces in the Gaza Strip.

“I will not supply the weapons that have historically been used to deal with Rafah,” Biden previously expressed with CNN, claiming that “civilians have died in Gaza as a result of those bombs and other ways in which they go after population centers.”

“We’re going to continue to make sure Israel is secure in terms of Iron Dome and their ability to respond to attacks that came out of the Middle East recently. But it’s, it’s just wrong. We’re not going to – we’re not going to supply the weapons and artillery shells,” he added.

Biden will veto any Republican legislation on arms shipments

Given the previous blockade, Republicans in the House of Representatives promoted the Israel Security Assistance Support Act, which, as confirmed by the White House, will be vetoed if it reaches the president’s desk.

“This bill could raise serious concerns about infringement on the President’s authorities under Article II of the Constitution, including his duties as Commander-in-Chief and Chief Executive and his power to conduct foreign relations,” they mentioned in a statement.

“The President has been clear: we will always ensure Israel has what it needs to defend itself. Our commitment to Israel is ironclad,” they added.

What would the Israel Security Assistance Support Law do?

The project was promoted by the Chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee of the House of Representatives, Ken Calvert (R-CA), accompanied by House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK), State and Foreign Operations Subcommittee Chairman Mario Díaz-Balart (R-FL), and Chairman of the Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government, David Joyce (R-OH).

“Unlike the Administration, House Appropriators will not waver in our ironclad support for Israel. The House and Senate acted on the will of the people, overwhelmingly providing Israel with the firepower to send a message: the U.S. and our allies will not cower to terrorist organizations like Hamas. Any actions to withhold resources impede our national and global security and send a dangerous signal that the U.S. cannot be counted on as a partner. We demand the Administration fulfill our commitment to our great ally in the Middle East, especially so in this serious time of need,” said the aforementioned legislators to justify its creation.

Specifically, the legislation would do the following: