Biden Administration Weighing $18 Billion in Arms Transfers to Israel, Sources Say

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: US News and World Report/Reuters

April 1, 2024, at 4:31 p.m.


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Joe Biden's administration is weighing whether to go ahead with an $18 billion arms transfer package to Israel that would include dozens of F-15 aircraft, five sources familiar with the matter said on Monday.

The sale of 25 F-15s from Boeing Co. to Israel has been under review since the United States received the formal request in January 2023, one of the sources said, long before Israel's six-month-old military campaign in Gaza. This sale would boost that number to as many as 50 F-15s.

Speeding delivery of the aircraft was among the top asks by Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who visited Washington last week and held talks with U.S. officials including National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, a second source said.

Biden faces pressure from foreign partners, human rights groups and some of his fellow Democrats in Congress to impose conditions on arms transfers to rein in Israel’s offensive in Hamas-ruled Gaza where health officials say more than 32,000 Palestinians have been killed, many of them civilians. One U.S. official said the earliest the aircraft would be delivered is 2029, and that is if the formal notification were sent to Congress tomorrow and it were finalized immediately.

Read more: https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2024-04-01/biden-administration-weighing-18-billion-in-arms-transfers-to-israel-sources-say

[All Mixed Up]

1. A couple months ago, I was decidedly in Israel's camp on this. Not anymore. Don't do it, Joe.

[Faux pas]

2. NOOOOOOOOO JOOOOOOOOOE

[Think. Again.]

3. There is no reason to NOT...

...impose conditions on this delivery of arms.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

4. I'm with All Mixed Up. Don't do it, Joe.

Seems to me that the Ukrainians need and deserve it more.

[twodogsbarking]

5. I am a no.

[cstanleytech]

6. Would be better off sending it all to Ukraine.

[Deuxcents]

10. I agree. 100%

[nandru]

35. Ditto!

Absolutely agree. Every last FDR dime should be going to Ukraine. Don't do it Joe. Please! At a minimum make this sale conditional on international human rights guarantees. The optics are abysmal.

[TheRickles]

7. How about $18 billion in humanitarian aid? Plenty of places around the world could use it.

It's hard not to be cynical about the huge profits being made by arms manufacturers with all these weapons deals and never-ending wars.

[Silent Type]

8. Don't have answer. But I do know Gaza's GNP is like $17 Billion. WHY CAN'T we come

up with a plan that give Gazans billions to improve their lives and country, rather than just more for bombs. I get need for armaments, but it’ll just be perpetual if we don’t do something to help situation.

[brush]

14. The US gives billions in aid and arms TO ISRAEL.

[Bayard]

9. I'm with you on just about everything, Joe,

But not this. Not this.

Where do we register our objections?

[Enquiring_Mind]

11. Let this "ally" fight their own damn wars

They do not give a flying fuck about our interests.

[brush]

12. Absolutely not. Warmonder Netanyahu just expanded the Gaza war to a regional one by...

attacking the Iranian consulate in Syria.

Sick. Attacking another nation's consulate in another nation. Iran has already said they will retaliate.

Things are going downhill fast because of Netanyahu.

[Basic LA]

13. I say we deduct $4.99 ...

... for a box of crackers to give one of those kids Israel is starving to death in Palestine.

[Mr. Evil]

15. Under normal circumstances,

one could say Netanyahu has made his point. But, he isn't in normal circumstances. He wants to obliterate Gaza, stay in power and avoid prison. And just like Jared Kushner said not too long ago there's a lot of beachfront property available now for development. Leave it to that putz to prove once again that it's better to remain silent and thought a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt.

But, this deal is something that really needs to be thought about some more. Young people are now saying, 'wait a minute.' More bombs and missiles to lob on people that don't even have food!? We cannot afford to lose the youth vote. Because if we do it could be very bad news come November. If we send them, Netanyahu will use them. He's another right wing nutjob psychopath.

[Celerity]

16. Send it all to Ukraine. Not a penny more to Israel.

[orthoclad]

17. Dear Joe, are you TRYING to get Trump elected?

[maxsolomon]

34. NOT approving a long-planned arms sale to an 75 year ally

would give * an issue to pry away Jewish votes from Biden. I saw it happen in 2016 over Hillary's AIPAC speech, and that was a milquetoast comment about West Bank settlements.

I fail to see how approving the sale would cost Biden votes. He'd lose more Muslim votes in Michigan than he's already lost?

[TeamProg]

18. HOLY FUCK!! No!!

[Demobrat]

19. This can have no good outcome. For anyone.

Surely Biden knows that.

[Nutty Putty]

20. Disgusting

Disappointing and unacceptable

[BlueMTexpat]

21. WT absolute F is there

to "weigh" about this?

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

NO MORE ARMs to a nation whose radical RW government is committing war crimes!!!!

If we MUST transfer arms, please transfer them to Ukraine instead!

[Magoo48]

22. No more, Joe

[Seinan Sensei]

23. Not no, but AWWWWW HELL NO

[maxsolomon]

24. These are long-planned SALES to our long-time ME ally.

The sale of 25 F-15s from Boeing Co. to Israel has been under review since the United States received the formal request in January 2023, one of the sources said, long before Israel's six-month-old military campaign in Gaza.

It will go through.

[Frances]

27. I hope it does not go through

[maxsolomon]

32. What are you going to do when it does?

The US has been Israel's ally since its inception, through thick and thin. No other nation has as much influence on their conduct. Biden is not the President that is going to end that relationship - he's no Anti-Zionist.

[Polybius]

25. Say it ain't so, Joe!

[OAITW r.2.0]

26. Approve and hold.

Until Israel stops the human atrocities in Gaza.

[kimbutgar]

28. Don't do it President Biden not until Bibi is out should any arms go to Israel !

Last edited Thu Apr 4, 2024, 12:35 PM - Edit history (1)

The killing of the world central kitchen workers was the last straw for me defending Israel.

[RussBLib]

29. Just say no, Joe!

...who can we call, who can we reach out to, to urge Joe to cut off aid to Israel until they act like human beings?

https://russblib.blogspot.com

[maxsolomon]

33. Obviously, call your local city councilmembers and university presidents.

They have magic "ceasefire" wands.

[sinkingfeeling]

30. Just say no.

[Mersky]

31. 2029 is the earliest the BOEING aircraft could be delivered?

I’d say they can just wait until all the doors are checked and humanitarians aren’t being bombed.