Washington
\nThe United States government has delayed the sale of thousands of precision weapons to its ally Israel amid its war on Gaza, a report says quoting current and former US officials.
\nThe administration of President Joe Biden has been criticised over its policy of arming Israel, which critics say violates US laws banning military aid and weapon sales to countries engaged in rights abuses. Seven months of Israeli bombardment and siege on the Gaza Strip have killed nearly 35,000 people and wounded almost 80,000, with Israel facing accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which it denies.
\nThe Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on Monday that the proposed deal involved up to 6,500 Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs) \u2013 guidance kits that turn unguided bombs into precision-guided munitions.
\nUS law requires Congress to be notified of major foreign military sales agreements. The Department of State usually provides information to the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee before such potential sales, followed by the formal congressional notification.
\nCongress was first informed about the sale \u2013 estimated at $260m \u2013 in January but the Biden administration has yet to move forward, according to the WSJ. The administration\u2019s lack of follow-up action with an official notification about the sale has triggered an effective pause in the deal, the publication said.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s unusual, especially for Israel, especially during a war,\u201d a congressional official familiar with the arms sales process told the WSJ.
\nThe official said, however, they were not aware of the reason for the delay.
\nSeth Binder, an expert on US arms sales with the Middle East Democracy Center, told the WSJ that if the delay was deliberate, it \u201cwould be the first instance since this war began where the administration took such an action on weapons we know have been used in Gaza\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Washington The United States government has delayed the sale of thousands of precision weapons to its ally Israel amid its war on Gaza, a report says quoting current and former US officials. The administration of President Joe Biden has been criticised over its policy of arming Israel, which critics say violates US laws banning military […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":405485,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-405474","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n