US pushes back sale of arms to Israel over concerns about attacks by settlers

US President Joe Biden’s administration is reportedly delaying the sale of more than 20,000 rifles to Israel after concerns were raised about attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. Sources familiar with the matter told Reuters that the State Department had sent an informal notification to Congress weeks ago. However, the sale did not go through even though it was cleared by the leaders of the Senate Foreign Relations and House of Representatives Foreign Affairs committees in early November.

“Other members of Congress became aware of this case, and reached out to the administration to demand they obtain assurances from Israel that the firearms will not go to settlers,” a former US official familiar with the sale said.

“The administration has been engaged with Israel in trying to get satisfactory assurances in that regard prior to formally notifying it. Under the license as drafted, these firearms can also go to Israeli police units about which the Department has significant human rights concerns,” the former official said.

The Biden administration is apprehensive about the possibility of the weapons ending up in the hands of some Israeli settlers.

President Joe Biden and other senior US officials have warned repeatedly that Israel must act to stop violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank.

More from World

India’s US envoy Kwatra discusses bilateral trade ties with US lawmakers Netanyahu accuses Hamas leaders of derailing ceasefire, says eliminating them in Qatar could end Gaza war

Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, a far-right member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, oversees the Israeli police force. The Times of Israel newspaper in November reported that his ministry has put “a heavy emphasis on arming civilian security squads” in the aftermath of October 7.

With inputs from Reuters