Washington, February 4 (RHC)-- The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has requested congressional approval for a new arms sale estimated at $1 billion to Israel, as Washington continues to support the Tel Aviv regime’s genocidal actions in Palestine.
The Wall Street Journal, citing U.S. officials familiar with the sale, reported on Monday that the proposed arms package includes 4,700 1,000-pound bombs, valued at over $700 million, in addition to armored bulldozers manufactured by Caterpillar, which are worth more than $300 million.
Funding for this request is expected to come from the annual military assistance the United States provides to Israel, which totals $3.8 billion each year through the foreign military financing program.
The specific types of bombs in the latest arms package sale include 1,000-pound “general purpose” bombs and Caterpillar D9 armored bulldozers, which have historically been used to raze houses and other buildings in the West Bank as part of an ongoing operation in Jenin.
This comes as Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is visiting Washington and set to meet Trump on Tuesday to discuss the ceasefire in Gaza, a separate truce in Lebanon, and escalating tensions across West Asia.
During his visit, Netanyahu is anticipated to push for the acceleration of previously requested arms transfers amounting to over $8 billion, which include various types of bombs, missiles, and artillery rounds.
Moreover, Netanyahu met with Elon Musk, the owner of the X social media platform and an adviser to Trump in Washington, during which they discussed ways to strengthen cooperation between Israel and the United States in the field of artificial intelligence.
The meeting aimed to explore collaboration in artificial intelligence, as the US prepares to invest heavily in this sector, positioning Israel as a key player in the initiative. Netanyahu has referred to Musk as “a great friend of Israel,” emphasizing his steadfast support for Israel.
A report published by The Washington Post revealed that US tech companies had worked directly with Israel and provided the regime with more access to the company’s latest AI services from the early weeks of the Gaza war to defeat Palestinians.
Israel has received a record $17.9 billion in weaponry from October 2023 to October 2024, and in January, former President Joe Biden announced an $8 billion arms package for Israel.
However, the earlier requests, initiated by the Biden administration, have faced delays due to concerns from some Democratic lawmakers about the humanitarian implications of ongoing arms sales amid the escalating violence in Gaza.
This announcement follows Trump's recent lifting of a hold on the sale of 2,000-pound bombs that had been imposed by the Biden administration.
Last week, Trump defended the decision to resume the bomb shipments, stating, "They paid for them and they have been waiting for them for a long time," indicating he would not withhold future weapons deliveries to Israel.
In response, Netanyahu expressed his gratitude to Trump for his commitment to enhancing Israel's military capabilities in a video message.
The Israeli regime with the support of the US killed nearly 62,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children during over 15 months of its genocidal war in Gaza. Also more than 900 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers since October 2023.
