Trump Administration Approves Proposed $2.8 Billion
Heavy-Bomb Sale to Israel
The package would be among the largest deliveries
of U.S. munitions to Israel.
1.
Proposed $2.8 billion arms package
·
The Trump administration has approved a proposed US$2.8
billion sale of heavy munitions to Israel, according to a U.S. official
cited in the report.
·
The package would be among the largest U.S.
munitions deliveries to Israel.
·
The State Department has sent the proposal to two
congressional committees for informal approval.
2. 40,000
one-ton bombs
The
proposed package includes:
·
20,000 MK-84 2,000-pound bombs
·
20,000 BLU-117 2,000-pound bombs
·
20,000 I-2000 bunker-busting penetrator warheads.
·
The report says the 2,000-pound bombs have a lethal
blast radius extending more than 1,000 feet and can leave craters up to 50
feet deep.
3.
Civilian-casualty concerns
·
Human-rights groups and some governments have
criticised Israel's use of the heavy bombs in densely populated areas of
Gaza and Lebanon.
·
Critics argue that their large blast radius can
cause extensive civilian harm.
·
The article notes that strikes involving such
munitions have sometimes killed dozens of civilians while targeting a single
individual.
4.
Earlier Biden restriction reversed
·
In mid-2024, the Biden administration paused a
shipment of 2,000-pound bombs because of concerns about their potential use
in crowded civilian areas.
·
President Trump subsequently allowed that shipment
to proceed days after taking office in January.
·
In February, the Trump administration agreed to a
separate approximately US$2.7 billion munitions package, including 35,000
MK-84 and BLU-117 bombs.
5.
Possible expedited delivery
·
Normal production and delivery can take months
or years.
·
The report says mechanisms exist to expedite
the process.
6.
Congress and emergency authority
·
Congressional leaders can express opposition during
the informal review.
·
The Secretary of State can invoke emergency
powers to proceed without obtaining informal congressional approval.
·
If the administration formally proceeds under such
circumstances, Congress would need to pass a resolution blocking the sale.
·
To guarantee overcoming a presidential veto, such a
resolution would require two-thirds support in both the House and Senate.
7. Biden
administration also used emergency powers
·
The Biden administration declared regional
emergencies twice during the Israel-Gaza war to bypass congressional
approval and expedite arms shipments.
·
One package included 13,000 rounds of tank
ammunition.
·
Another included artillery munitions.
8. State
Department position
·
The State Department said it would not confirm
or comment on a proposed arms sale that has not been formally notified to
Congress.
·
Therefore, the reported $2.8 billion package should
be treated as a proposed sale, rather than a formally notified and
completed transaction, based on the article.
9.
Political opposition in the United States
·
The proposed sale is expected to face strong
opposition from some Democrats in Congress.
·
Some Democratic lawmakers have called for ending
U.S. aid to Israel over the civilian toll of Israel's military campaign
following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks.
·
Opposition has also appeared among some of Trump's
traditional supporters.
10.
Tucker Carlson's criticism
·
Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson has
publicly criticised Israel's military campaign.
·
According to the article, Carlson argued that
supplying additional destructive weaponry could embolden Israel and contribute
to prolonging the conflict involving Iran.
·
These are Carlson's stated views, rather
than an independent finding of the report.
11.
Israel's justification
·
Israel argues that Hamas fighters in Gaza and
Hezbollah militants in Lebanon deliberately operate among civilians,
including from bunkers and tunnels.
·
Israel says heavy munitions are sometimes required
to penetrate such fortified positions.
·
Israel maintains that militants' placement among
civilians contributes to civilian casualties and subsequent international
pressure.
12.
Debate over alternative weapons
·
Former U.S. officials and military analysts cited
in the article question whether Israel has sufficiently considered less-destructive
alternatives in some circumstances.
·
The issue centres on the balance between military
objectives and the potential civilian impact of large bombs.
13. Scale
of U.S. military assistance
·
The United States provides Israel with a baseline
of US$3.8 billion annually in military assistance:
o
US$3.3 billion in financing largely used to
purchase American weapons.
o
US$500 million for joint missile-defence
programmes.
14.
Trump–Netanyahu differences
·
Despite the proposed arms package, the article
notes that Trump has had disagreements with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu over Israeli military operations in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran.
·
The report says these operations have at times
complicated U.S. diplomatic efforts concerning Gaza and Iran.
15.
Overall significance
·
The proposed package represents a substantial
expansion of U.S. heavy-munitions support for Israel, according to the
article.
·
It comes amid continuing debate in the United
States over civilian casualties, congressional oversight of arms transfers and
the scope of U.S. military assistance to Israel.
·
The article also highlights a political shift in
which criticism of Israel's military conduct is appearing beyond traditional
Democratic opposition, including among some supporters of President Trump.
The Trump administration
has approved a $2.8 billion sale of heavy bombs to Israel, according to a U.S. official,
in what would be among the largest deliveries of U.S. munitions there even as American
public support for the country declines.
The proposed sale
would include 40,000 one-ton bombs whose use by Israel in Gaza and Lebanon has drawn
international anger because of the civilian harm caused by their wide blast radius.
Human rights groups
and some foreign governments have condemned Israel for dropping the giant munitions
in densely populated areas, sometimes killing dozens of civilians in strikes targeting
just one individual.
The package would
include 20,000 each of America’s 2,000-pound MK-84 and BLU-117 bombs. It would also
provide Israel with 20,000 bunker-busting I-2000 penetrator warheads, which explode
on delay after smashing through an outer surface like soil, rock or concrete. The
plan was reported earlier by The Washington Post.
The blast from a
2,000-pound bomb can be lethal at more than 1,000 feet and leave a crater as deep
as 50 feet. Israel provoked a fierce outcry after it dropped hundreds of the heavy
bombs on Gaza.
The State Department
recently sent the proposed deal to two congressional committees to get informal
approval, the U.S. official said.
Production and delivery
of the munitions usually takes months or years, but there are ways to expedite the
process.
In mid-2024, the
Biden administration paused a shipment of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel because of
concern about their use in crowded civilian areas. President Trump allowed the shipment
to proceed days after taking office last January.
Then in February,
the Trump administration agreed to sell roughly $2.7 billion in munitions to Israel,
a package that included 35,000 of the one-ton MK-84 and BLU-117 bombs.
While congressional
leaders can tell the Trump administration that they oppose the deal, Secretary of
State Marco Rubio can exercise emergency powers to proceed with the sale regardless,
as he has done repeatedly, or just say he is moving forward with it. The administration
would then bypass getting informal approval from Congress and formally announce
the sale is happening.
In those cases,
both the House and Senate would need to pass a resolution to block the deal. Such
a resolution would require the support of two-thirds of each body to guarantee it
can overcome a presidential veto.
The Biden administration
also declared an emergency in the region to bypass congressional approval and expedite
shipments of arms to Israel twice during the Israel-Gaza war. One of those packages
included 13,000 rounds of tank ammunition, and the second included artillery munitions.
The State Department’s
approval of such a large package of devastating munitions reflects Mr. Trump’s continued
strong support for Israel despite his recent disputes with its prime minister, Benjamin
Netanyahu, over the country’s military operations in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran. Mr.
Netanyahu is expected to be in New York next week to address the annual gathering
of world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly.
The State Department
said in a statement that as a matter of policy it would not confirm or comment on
a proposed arms sale that has not been formally notified to Congress.
The proposed deal
is sure to draw strong opposition among Democrats in Congress, some of whom have
called for ending all U.S. aid to Israel in response to the huge civilian toll of
Israel’s military campaign in Gaza after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel.
But anger toward
Israel has also risen among Mr. Trump’s traditional supporters. The former Fox News
host Tucker Carlson posted a tirade on social media that excoriated Israel for what
he called the “slaughter” of Palestinians in Gaza.
Mr. Carlson also
said that the added destructive power would embolden Israel and fuel the conflict
with Iran launched jointly by the U.S. and Israel in February. Mr. Carlson has adamantly
opposed the offensive and blames Mr. Netanyahu for convincing Mr. Trump to approve
it. “If you wanted to extend the Iran war into the indefinite future, this is exactly
what you’d do,” Mr. Carlson wrote.
Israel argues that
Hamas fighters in Gaza and Hezbollah militants in Lebanon intentionally embed themselves
among civilians — sometimes in bunkers or tunnels that require heavy munitions to
penetrate — to force Israel to kill innocent civilians and face international pressure.
But many former
U.S. officials and military analysts question whether Israel has been too quick
to pass up less destructive alternatives. The U.S. provides Israel a base line of
$3.8 billion a year in military assistance, including $3.3 billion in financing
that Israel largely uses to purchase American weapons, which includes the latest
sale of bombs.
Another $500 million
in U.S. aid is earmarked annually for joint missile-defense
programs. Mr. Trump has repeatedly butted heads with Mr. Netanyahu over Israel’s
military operations outside its borders, which have on several occasions complicated
U.S. efforts to negotiate lasting peace in Gaza and to resolve the conflict with
Iran — to Mr. Trump’s great frustration.
But Mr. Trump has
expressed far less public concern about civilian casualties than did Mr. Biden,
who also was sharply criticized for being too tolerant of such deaths.