State Department bypasses Congress to approve sale of tank ammunition to Israel, citing national security concerns
President Biden’s State Department said Saturday it approved the sale of $106.5 million worth of tank ammunition to Israel amid the war against Hamas in a deal that bypasses Congress.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken approved a potential foreign military sale to the government of Israel of M830A1 high-explosive 120mm multipurpose anti-tank tracer (MPAT) rounds and related equipment for an estimated cost of $106.5 million. , according to a State report. Department news release Saturday.
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification on Friday notifying Congress of this possible sale.
“The Government of Israel has requested to purchase thirteen thousand nine hundred and eighty-one (13,981) M830A1 120mm Multipurpose High Explosive Anti-Tank Tracer (MPAT) tank cartridges,” the State Department said. “Also included are publications and technical documentation; U.S. government and contractor technical, logistical, and engineering support services; studies and surveys; and other related elements of logistics and program support.”
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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken answers questions during a press conference with British Foreign Secretary David Cameron at the State Department on December 7, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Blinken “determined and provided detailed justification to Congress that an emergency exists requiring the immediate sale to the Government of Israel of the above defense articles and services in the interest of the national security of the United States, thereby waiving the requirements of congressional review under Section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control Act, as amended,” according to the statement.
“The United States is committed to Israel’s security, and it is vital to American national interests to help Israel develop and maintain a strong and ready self-defense capability,” the press release continues. “This proposed sale is consistent with those objectives. Israel will use the enhanced capability as a deterrent against regional threats and to strengthen its national defense. Israel will have no difficulty absorbing this equipment into its armed forces. The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region.”
The move comes as Biden’s request for a nearly $106 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and other national security countries languishes in Congress, caught in a debate over immigration policy and border security. USA. Some Democratic lawmakers have talked about conditioning a proposed $14.3 billion in U.S. assistance to its Middle East ally on concrete steps by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to reduce civilian casualties in Gaza during the war with Hamas.
According to the Associated Press, decisions to bypass the congressional review requirement for foreign military sales are rare, but not unprecedented, when administrations see an urgent need for weapons to be delivered without waiting for approval from lawmakers.
Ammunition as Israel tightens measures by army, police and other security forces after Hamas launched Operation Al-Aqsa Flood in Sderot, Israel, on October 9, 2023. (Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
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“This will be a sale of US military inventory,” the State Department said. “There are no known proposed offset arrangements in connection with this potential sale. Implementation of this proposed sale will not require the assignment of any additional US government representatives or contractors to Israel.”
The State Department said the sale would have “no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness.” to
Bypassing Congress with emergency determinations for gun sales is an unusual step that has met with resistance in the past from lawmakers, who typically have a period of time to weigh in on proposed gun transfers and, in some cases, block them.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyhu attends the funeral of First Sergeant Major Gal Meir Eisenkot at the Herzliya Cemetery on December 8, 2023 in Herzliya, Israel. The Israel Defense Forces said the 25-year-old son of cabinet minister and former army chief Gadi Eisenkot died on Thursday in Gaza. (Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images)
In May 2019, then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made an emergency determination for an $8.1 billion arms sale to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan after it became clear that the Trump administration would have problems to overcome lawmakers’ concerns about Saudi Arabia. – United Arab Emirates-led war in Yemen.
Pompeo came under heavy criticism for the move, which some believed could have violated the law because many of the weapons involved had not yet been built and could not be urgently delivered. But he was cleared of any wrongdoing after an internal investigation.
At least four administrations have used this authority since 1979. President George HW Bush’s administration used it during the Gulf War to rush weapons to Saudi Arabia.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
