US plans $6 billion in new arms sales to Israel

The Trump administration is seeking congressional approval to sell nearly $6 billion in weapons to Israel, people familiar with the request said, moving forward despite Israel’s missile strike on Hamas in Qatar and intensifying offensive in Gaza City, which have drawn strong condemnation in Europe and the region.

Israel’s military said it had expanded operations in Gaza City on Friday and bombarded Hamas infrastructure. The news of the proposed sale came days before world leaders were set to gather in New York for the annual United Nations General Assembly next week, which the UN Security Council is also due to hold a high-level meeting on Gaza.

The proposed sales include a deal worth $3.8 billion for 30 AH-64 Apache helicopters that would nearly double Israel’s current fleet of the aircraft. It would also include a $1.9 billion deal for 3,250 infantry assault vehicles for the Israeli army.

The weapons likely would not be delivered for two to three years. The arms would be paid for by US-provided foreign military financing, according to the documents reviewed by the Wall Street Journal.

Citing people familiar with the issue, the report said the State Department is seeking the approval of the four top Republican and Democratic leaders of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

The proposed arms sales were first sent to congressional leaders about a month ago, before Israel’s Sept. 9 strike on Hamas leaders in Qatar, according to the report. The Trump administration has continued to seek approval for the sales since the Israeli attack, the people said, per the report.

But there has been growing opposition for continued support to Israel from the US. On Thursday, a group of US Senators introduced the first Senate resolution to urge recognition of a Palestinian state and more than half of Democrats in the Senate recently voted against further arms sales.

Even Republicans are seeing a slight drop in support for Israel amongst their voters. President Trump must be careful in handling this issue, as mismanaging it could lose him support, not just nationally, but amongst some Republicans.