• Public

  • Public
  • Network
  • Groups
  • Featured
  • Popular
  • People

An assessment of the proposed arms transfer drafted by the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem, and viewed by The Wall Street Journal, said the Israeli government requested “rapid acquisition of these items for the defense of Israel against continued and emerging regional threats.” The assessment said there were no potential human rights concerns with the sale. “Israel takes effective action to prevent gross violations of human rights and to hold security forces responsible that violate those rights. In the past, Israel has been a transparent partner in U.S. investigations into allegations of defense article misuse,” the assessment says. Fullscreen button A former U.S. official said the transfer would be financed by U.S. military aid to Israel. The vast majority of Israeli weapons acquisitions from the U.S. come from the billions of dollars it receives in American government funding to bolster its military each year. Precision-guided munitions would allow Israel to better target Hamas leaders and potentially strike in areas where enemy forces are entrenched underground. And while MK-82 bombs don’t have the same precision, Israel has kits that can be attached to them and improve their precision. Israel has used such bombs during the war in Gaza, U.S. officials say.