Biden Administration Approves Weapons Sale to Israel

The Biden administration has approved the sale of $735 million in precision-guided weapons to Israel, the Washington Post first reported on Monday.

Congress was officially notified of the sale on May 5, a week before the start of cross-border bombing between Israel and Gaza. The notification is part of the regular review process before a major weapons sale to a foreign government can be completed. Lawmakers have 15 days to object to the sale.

Though no meaningful opposition to the sale is expected, according to the report, some newer and younger Democratic representatives have called for the approval of the sale to be used as leverage to pressure Israel to agree to a cease-fire.

Israel has said it uses the Joint Direct Attack Munitions kits that transform regular bombs into precision-guided missiles in Gaza airstrikes to avoid hitting civilians. Israel also says that this can be difficult since it charges that Hamas places military infrastructure in civilian areas, making the civilians into human shields, according to the Washington Post.