24,000 assault rifles are what Israel desires. Far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who is in charge of the police, has given civilians firearms and is organizing “security squads.”
American lawmakers and some State Department officials are closely examining an Israeli government request for 24,000 assault rifles from the US, fearing the weapons could end up in the hands of settlers and civilian militias attempting to drive out Palestinians from land in the West Bank, where violence has been on the rise, according to US officials.
The State Department must approve and notify Congress before the three proposed tranches of $34 million worth of automatic and semiautomatic rifles may be acquired directly from American gunmakers.
Last week, the State Department notified congressional committees informally about the sale. This sparked worries and calls for the department to question Israel more forcefully about how it plans to deploy the weapons. U.S. sources said that although those in charge of weapons sales plan to approve the orders and make them public in the coming days, human rights officials within the department have voiced doubts.
After officials promised to provide thousands of firearms to Israeli people in at least 1,000 towns and cities, including Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, the Israeli police are looking to increase the number of weapons in its inventory. Over the years, over 500,000 Israelis have relocated there to establish settlements. These, together with military checkpoints, walls, and other occupation-related measures, force the 2.7 million Palestinians residing in the region to live in distinct tiny enclaves.
President Biden and his closest advisers are growing more concerned about the escalating violence on the West Bank, despite the fact that the majority of international criticism of Israel’s recent actions has focused on its airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, which according to health ministry authorities there have killed about 10,000 people.
The degree of violence committed by Israeli settlers in the West Bank, who seek to drive out Palestinians from strategically important land, had already surpassed that of previous years, even before the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist strikes ignited the present conflict in Gaza.
That was ascribed by U.S. officials to statements made by certain Israeli leaders endorsing the annexation of the West Bank as well as to the far-right government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu encouraging settlers. According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, since October 7, there have been over 150 Palestinian deaths in the West Bank, almost as many as there were in 2022.
While some of the deaths have been at the hands of armed citizens, the majority have occurred during clashes with the Israeli military. On October 25, Mr. Biden stated that “extremist settlers'” acts of violence were “pouring gasoline on fire.” The State Department’s Antony J.
