Despite looming concerns over a potential ground invasion in Gaza’s southern Rafah area, the United States is gearing up to deliver additional arms and munitions to Israel, as reported by the Wall Street Journal.
Unnamed US officials revealed plans for the delivery, which include around a thousand MK-82 500-pound bombs and a thousand KMU-572 Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs), alongside possibly FMU-139 bomb fuses. The shipment, estimated to be worth tens of millions of dollars, will be funded through the US’s extensive military aid to Israel.
The decision to proceed with the arms transfer follows an assessment from the US embassy in Israel, indicating Israeli requests for these items to counter ongoing and emerging regional threats. The assessment dismissed concerns regarding potential human rights violations, asserting that Israel takes measures to prevent such violations and holds accountable any security forces that breach them.
Despite calls from the US government and other Western nations urging Israel to refrain from its planned operation, President Joe Biden specifically warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against moving into Rafah without a credible plan to safeguard Palestinians in the area.
However, the impending arms shipment underscores scepticism among many observers regarding the seriousness of US warnings to Israel. Despite reported concerns, Washington appears reluctant to impose significant consequences on Israel, even in the event of a military escalation in Gaza.