Biden administration again bypasses Congress for weapons sale to Israel

For the second time this month, the Biden administration is bypassing Congress to approve an emergency weapons sale to Israel as Israel continues to prosecute its war against Hamas in Gaza under increasing international criticism.

The state department said on Friday that the secretary of state, Antony Blinken, had told Congress that he had made a second emergency determination covering a $147.5 million sale for equipment, including fuses, chargers and primers, that is needed to make the 155mm shells that Israel has already purchased function.

“Given the urgency of Israel’s defensive needs, the secretary notified Congress that he had exercised his delegated authority to determine an emergency existed necessitating the immediate approval of the transfer,” the department said, according to the Guardian.

“The United States is committed to the security of Israel, and it is vital to US national interests to ensure Israel is able to defend itself against the threats it faces,” it said.

The emergency determination means the purchase will bypass the congressional review requirement for foreign military sales. Such determinations are rare, but not unprecedented when administrations see an urgent need for weapons to be delivered without waiting for lawmakers’ approval.

Blinken made a similar decision on December 9, to approve the sale to Israel of nearly 14,000 rounds of tank ammunition worth more than $106m.

Both moves have come as Joe Biden’s request for a nearly $106bn aid package for Ukraine, Israel and other national security needs remains stalled in Congress, caught up in a debate over US immigration policy and border security. Some Democratic lawmakers have spoken of making the proposed $14.3bn in American assistance to its Middle East ally contingent on concrete steps by the government of the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to reduce civilian casualties in Gaza during the war with Hamas.