US Mediating Ceasefire Faces Controversy Over $700 Million Arms Sale to Israel

Mass Sale of Precision-Guided Bombs to Israel
No Objections in US Congress... Approval Expected

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The U.S. Biden administration has reportedly approved arms sales to Israel worth over $700 million, exceeding 800 billion Korean won. Since no objections have been raised in the U.S. Congress regarding the sale, it is expected to be approved soon. As the U.S., which has declared its intention to mediate a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian armed group Hamas, continues to sell weapons to Israel, criticism from the international community is growing.

According to foreign media including The Washington Post (WP) on the 17th (local time), the Biden administration has approved the sale of precision-guided munitions (JDAM) worth $735 million (approximately 835.6 billion Korean won) to Israel. The arms sale was officially notified to the U.S. Congress on the 5th of this month. Typically, U.S. foreign arms sales approval involves a 15-day review period if objections are raised after official notification to Congress, but WP reported that no objections have been filed from either the Democratic or Republican parties in Congress.

Earlier that day, the White House disclosed the content of a phone call between President Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, stating, "President Biden expressed his support for a ceasefire and discussed U.S. involvement alongside other allies, including Egypt, until the situation is resolved." Consequently, criticism is mounting internationally that the Biden administration is continuing arms sales to Israel while mediating a ceasefire.

Unofficially, it is known that Congress was already notified of the arms sale last month, leading to criticism that some Democratic lawmakers opposing Israel's attacks on Palestine are being hypocritical. According to CNN, on the 16th, U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff, a Democrat, tweeted that he and 28 other Democratic and Democratic-leaning independent senators issued a joint statement urging a ceasefire between Israel and Palestine.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.