The United States will soon ship weapons and arms that the Biden administration suspended, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported Wednesday.
The new shipments ends a two-month pause in weapons deliveries.
Weapons include 500-pound bombs that the Biden administration previously suspended, with the administration citing civilian casualties in Gaza, WSJ noted in their report.
The WSJ report stated that according to estimates, the bombs “are in the process of being shipped” and will arrive in Israel in coming weeks.
However, according to reports, heavier bombs, including 2,000-pound bombs are still on hold, US officials stated.
The 500-pound bombs a US official said were “co-mingled” with the shipment of 2,000-pound bombs withheld from Israel are “moving forward as part of the usual process,” according to a statement to The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday night.
Officials confirm shipment released to Israel as ‘part of usual process’
“We’ve been clear that our concern has been on the end-use of the 2,000-lb bombs, particularly in advance of Israel’s Rafah campaign which they have announced they are concluding,” the US official said in a statement to The Post. “Because of how these shipments are put together, other munitions may sometimes be co-mingled.”
The official said that’s what happened with the 500-lb bombs since their main concern “had been and remains the potential use of 2,000-pound bombs in Rafah and elsewhere in Gaza.”
In a statement to The Post, a National Security Council spokesperson said other than the one shipment with the 2,000lb bombs that has been paused and remains paused, weapons shipments continue to move in due course.
“But we’re not going to get into specifics of every shipment,” the spokesperson said.
The delayed shipment, initially blocked by US President Joe Biden, had become a contentious issue in US-Israel relations. According to N12, the shipment’s approval follows intensive negotiations and diplomatic efforts led by Israel’s Defense Ministry, including the director general and the head of the planning division, alongside the Defense Minister, who recently visited the United States to advocate for the release.
Defense Ministry active in advocating for resuming shipments
The weapons pause was major topic of discussion when Defense Minister Yoav Gallant met with senior leaders across the Biden administration last month following a public barb when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the US of withholding more weapons than just the 500 and 2,000-lb weapons.
In a meeting with reporters, Gallant refused to discuss the specifics of his conversations regarding the withheld weapons shipment or Netanyahu’s claims that other arms and munitions have been withheld.
“Our relationship, the atmosphere, and the frank way in which we speak, are very important,” Gallant said of his meetings with the Biden administration. “Any obstacles that exist are discussed in closed rooms. I think that this is the way to work between friends and allies.”
The delayed shipment, initially blocked by US President Joe Biden, had become a contentious issue in US-Israel relations. According to N12, the shipment’s approval follows intensive negotiations and diplomatic efforts led by Israel’s Defense Ministry, including the director general and the head of the planning division, alongside the Defense Minister, who recently visited the United States to advocate for the release.
The issue of delayed arms shipments has been a source of tension since May when the Biden administration paused the transfer of certain munitions due to concerns over their potential impact in densely populated areas in Gaza. This included 2,000-pound and 500-pound bombs, which were seen as likely to cause significant civilian casualties during operations against Hamas. Despite this, the US has continued to provide other forms of military support to Israel, including smaller munitions and air defenses.
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