The US and Israel are long-term allies since the 1940s, with Washington providing billions every year in military assistance [Getty/file photo]
The USÂ has provided over $22 billion worth of direct military assistance to its long-term ally Israel since 7 October last year, when Israel began waging its war against the Gaza Strip, before extending its violence to Lebanon and Syria later.
Washington’s military assistance includes aircraft bombs, Apache helicopters, rockets, armoured vehicles, and bunker-busting ammunition, among them, F-35I Adir strike fighters, MK-82 and 84 missiles, SadCat armoured vehicles and Sa’ar 6-class corvettes.
The US, despite signing a $38 billion deal with Israel in 2016, signed multiple billion-dollar-worth emergency aid bills throughout the war, exceeding the amount of military supplies usually handed to Israel annually.
President Biden requested the first emergency package in October last year, which was approved by the House of Representatives one month later.
In November 2023, the US State Department approved the sale of $320 million worth of kits for guided Spice-class free-fall bombs. In December, Biden approved of a $106 million sale of 14,000 M830A1 tank gun shells and $147 million worth of 155-millimeter artillery shell parts to Israel through an emergency sale that did not require Congressional approval.
In 2024, similar packages were authorised. For instance, in April, Washington signed a security package that includes nearly $17 billion in military aid to Tel Aviv.
Another emergency military aid bill for Israel was passed by Congress in February 2024, allocating the Israeli army with aid until September 2025.
At least 50 thousand tonnes of weapons were sent to Israel to wage its war in Gaza. 45,541 Palestinians have been killed since, though the death toll is expected to be higher. Additionally, evidence has pointed to US weapons being used to directly kill Palestinians in the Strip, triggering outrage and condemnation, According to a report on US military expenditures to Israel by Brown University’s Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs.
The Biden administration also provided diplomatic support to Israel amid the war, though oftentimes criticised Netanyahu for his use of violence in the Gaza Strip.
However, both he and Vice President Kamala Harris have refused to impose an arms embargo and frequently echoed the Israel has a “right to self-defence” sentiment.
Washington’s refusal to halt military aid for Israel has been criticised heavily by US political progressives, pro-Palestinian activists and the Arab American community, given the heavy civilian death toll and the extensive damage done to the Palestinian territory.
Many well-known US companies have granted weapons to Israel. Flyer Defense made the “Flyer 72 Be’eri” armoured combat vehicles, Oshkosh Defense produced the “Namer 1500” armoured personnel carriers, while JDAM kits, which cause very high civilian casualties in Gaza and make aircraft bombs guided, are produced by the US Boeing company.
In the Israeli airstrike on Rafah on May 26, which killed at least 45 people, the GBU-39 bomb produced by the American Woodward company was used.
Caterpillar has also provided D9 bulldozers, which have been used to demolish Palestinian homes in Gaza. These bulldozers are being modified by IAI to be used remotely controlled and unmanned in risky areas.
The US has a long history of supplying military assistance to Israel. Between 1946 and before the start of the war in Gaza, $310 billion worth of arms were sent. Figures, however, are expected to be higher, due to the lack of transparency in US military reports.
Israel continues to wage its US-supported war in the Gaza Strip 14 months on, despite multiple attempts to implement a ceasefire and global criticism. Israel also receives substantial military aid from Germany and the UK.
