Biden Administration Quietly Authorizes $2.5 Billion in Military Aid for Israel

Despite recent tensions with the Israeli government, sources say the Biden administration approved the delivery of $2.5 billion in warplanes and bombs to Israel. 

The Details: The approval has not been disclosed publicly, but The Washington Post (Lean Left bias) cited “Pentagon and State Department officials familiar with the matter.” The authorization includes over 1,800 MK84 2,000-pound bombs and 500 MK82 500-pound bombs, in addition to 25 F-35A fighter jets. The department was not required to notify lawmakers because the case was approved by Congress in 2008.

For Context: The U.S. gives Israel $3.8 billion in military assistance annually. Recently, President Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rhetorically locked horns when Biden established a “red line” for Israel, telling Netanyahu it should not invade Rafah. Netanyahu stated that Israel would do so anyway, although it has not yet.

Key Quote: When asked about the transfers, a State Department official said that “fulfilling an authorization from one notification to Congress can result in dozens of individual Foreign Military Sales cases across the decades-long life-cycle of the congressional notification. As a matter of practicality, major procurements, like Israel’s F-35 program for example, are often broken out into several cases over many years.”

How The Media Covered It: Most reports were based on the Post’s original report, which was published on March 29.