Quick Summary:
• The Biden administration approved an $8 billion arms sale to Israel, including missiles, artillery shells, and bombs, amid allegations of genocide in Gaza.
• Human rights groups criticized the decision, with CAIR calling it “criminal” and accusing the U.S. of enabling mass slaughter.
• The arms sale coincides with Israel’s 15-month bombardment of Gaza, which has left over 165,000 Palestinians dead, maimed, or missing.
• Critics argue the arms sale violates the Leahy Law, which prohibits U.S. military aid to units committing human rights abuses.
• The U.S. has supplied 69% of Israel’s major arms imports in recent years, bolstering its military during the ongoing conflict.
• Protests have erupted across U.S. cities demanding an end to American military support for Israel, as the ICC accuses Israeli leaders of war crimes.
• Activists warn that the new arms deal will likely perpetuate further violence and humanitarian crises in Gaza.
The Biden administration has approved a controversial $8 billion arms sale to Israel, sparking widespread outrage from human rights groups, former State Department officials, and progressive lawmakers. The announcement, made on Saturday, comes as Israel continues its prolonged military campaign in Gaza, a conflict that has left tens of thousands of Palestinians dead or missing and has drawn accusations of genocide from numerous international bodies.
The arms deal includes a substantial cache of weapons, including medium-range air-to-air missiles, 155mm artillery shells, Hellfire AGM-114 missiles, and 500-pound bombs. Critics argue that U.S. military support is exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and enabling Israel’s alleged war crimes.
The newly approved arms package is one of the largest single military sales authorized by the Biden administration. The sale includes a variety of weapons systems that are expected to bolster Israel’s military capabilities as it continues its offensive in Gaza.
The timing of the announcement is significant. The arms sale was approved just days before President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House, signaling a continuation of strong U.S.-Israel military ties regardless of the administration in power. The Biden administration has already approved over $20 billion in arms sales to Israel since the conflict in Gaza escalated in 2023.
The ongoing conflict in Gaza has devastated the region. Israel’s 15-month military campaign has resulted in more than 165,000 Palestinians dead, maimed, or missing, according to local officials. The bombardment has left northern Gaza in ruins, with entire neighborhoods reduced to rubble. Hospitals, schools, and critical infrastructure have been destroyed, and the population faces widespread malnutrition, hypothermia, and disease.
Medical workers and humanitarian groups have reported harrowing accounts of the toll on civilians. Children and infants have died from exposure and lack of medical care, and many families have been forced to live in makeshift shelters with little to no protection from the elements.
Amid this humanitarian crisis, Israel’s actions have drawn accusations of genocide. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes committed during the Gaza campaign.
Human rights organizations were quick to denounce the Biden administration’s decision to approve another arms sale to Israel, accusing the U.S. government of complicity in the ongoing atrocities in Gaza.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) issued a scathing statement condemning the deal. Nihad Awad, CAIR’s National Executive Director, said:
“We strongly condemn the Biden administration for its unbelievable and criminal decision to send another $8 billion worth of American weapons to the government of indicted war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu instead of using American leverage to force an end to the genocide in Gaza.”
Awad continued:
“Only racists who do not view people of color as equally human, and sociopaths who delight in funding mass slaughter, could send Netanyahu even more bombs while his government openly kidnaps doctors, destroys hospitals, and exterminates the last survivors in northern Gaza.”
Other organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have echoed CAIR’s concerns, calling for an immediate halt to U.S. military aid to Israel.
Critics argue that the Biden administration’s continued military support for Israel may violate U.S. law, specifically the Leahy Law. The law, named after former Senator Patrick Leahy, requires the U.S. government to withhold military assistance from foreign military units that commit human rights abuses.
Reports from human rights organizations have documented dozens of instances in which Israel has used U.S.-supplied weapons to target civilians in Gaza. The Washington Post reported in October that the State Department had received over 500 reports of Israel using U.S. weapons to kill civilians and cause “unnecessary harm.” However, these reports have largely been dismissed or ignored by U.S. officials.
Maria Doa, a former EPA chemist and senior director of chemicals policy at the Environmental Defense Fund, expressed concern about the lack of accountability:
“Despite calculating very high risks for people in their homes and also fence line community residents, the U.S. government has completely written off those risks, and set the stage for no regulation to address those risks.”
The Biden administration’s arms sale to Israel has sparked protests across major U.S. cities. Activists and progressive lawmakers have called for an end to U.S. military support for Israel, arguing that it enables human rights violations and perpetuates the conflict in Gaza.
International bodies, including the United Nations, have condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza and called for an arms embargo. Several countries have already halted their arms exports to Israel in response to concerns about human rights abuses.
The U.S. has long been Israel’s largest arms supplier, accounting for 69% of Israel’s major arms imports between 2019 and 2023, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). American-made weapons have played a significant role in building Israel’s advanced military capabilities.
Under both Democratic and Republican administrations, the U.S. has consistently provided military aid to Israel, citing the country’s security needs in the region. However, this support has drawn increasing criticism from human rights advocates who argue that U.S. weapons are being used to commit war crimes.
The Biden administration’s decision to approve an $8 billion arms sale to Israel has intensified calls for accountability and a reevaluation of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East. As Israel’s campaign in Gaza continues, human rights groups warn that U.S. military support is enabling genocide and violating international laws.
Awad summed up the outrage from many human rights advocates, saying:
“If President Biden is actually the person who approved this new $8 billion arms sale, then he is a war criminal who belongs in a cell at The Hague alongside Netanyahu. But if Antony Blinken, Brett McGurk, Jake Sullivan, and other aides are making these unconscionable decisions as shadow presidents, then anyone with a conscience in the administration should speak up now about their abuses of power.”
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