Despite the U.S. and Israeli governments’ growing rift over the Gaza war, the Biden administration continues to authorize major weapons transfers.

The Biden administration in recent days quietly authorized the transfer of billions of dollars in bombs and fighter jets to Israel despite Washington’s concerns about an anticipated military offensive in southern Gaza that could threaten the lives of hundreds of thousands of Palestinian civilians.

The new arms packages include more than 1,800 MK84 2,000-pound bombs and 500 MK82 500-pound bombs, according to Pentagon and State Department officials familiar with the matter. The 2,000 pound bombs have been linked to previous mass-casualty events throughout Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. These officials, like some others, spoke to The Washington Post on the condition of anonymity because recent authorizations have not been disclosed publicly.

The 2,000 pound bombs, capable of leveling city blocks and leaving craters in the earth 40 feet across and larger, are almost never used anymore by Western militaries in densely populated locations due to the risk of civilian casualties.

archive link to the article

  • Linkerbaan@lemmy.worldOP
    477·
    7 months ago

    Eighteen hundred 2000 pound bombs!

    Genocide Joe wants every last Palestinian in refugee camps blown to bits!

      • Linkerbaan@lemmy.worldOP
        2311·
        7 months ago

        Even the libs have accepted at this point Biden can’t even do worse than Trump when it comes to supporting this Genocide. As Biden is 100% all in on Genociding every last Palestinian.

        Now they’ve given up and talk about the differences in domestic policies. You can have Genocide with abortion and trans rights!

      • livus@kbin.social
        23·
        7 months ago

        He’s now walked back those sanctions because Israel threatened to financially punish Palestinians in retaliation.

        • MrVilliam@lemmy.worldEnglish
          14·
          7 months ago

          Threatening collective punishment to sway political action? That sounds an awful lot like a two-fer. An exquisite entree of genocide paired with a lovely glass of terrorism.

          The America that Americans are taught that America is would’ve bombed the everloving fuck out of Israel right now. I truly cannot understand why the fuck we’re still helping Israel right now. I must be a clueless dumb fuck because I see zero upside and a shitload of blowback for this, and I don’t exactly have an Ivy League J.D.

          • livus@kbin.social
            9·
            7 months ago

            I think there’s a short-term upside (maintaining their hegemony foothold in the middle east, fuelling the arms dealing economy) with a long-term downside (accelerated erosion of US soft power, globally).

            Unfortunately those in power have an “apres moi la deluge” approach.

            • MrVilliam@lemmy.worldEnglish
              2·
              7 months ago

              Of course there’s a French phrase for this lol.

              This is definitely the case. When presidents and congresspeople are in their 70s and older, it’s pretty foolish to believe that they’re trying to leave a decent country to their adult grandchildren. Late stage capitalism will find the breaking point for this strategy in the private sector, hopefully before the public sector finds the line where nukes are flying everywhere.

  • mlg@lemmy.worldEnglish
    23·
    7 months ago

    This is more kt worth of explosives than what I have virtually dropped in over 2000 hours of war thunder mixed battles over 5 years

    spoiler
    • 1,800 (2,000 lbs) MK84s = 3,600,000 lbs of ordnance
    • 500 (500 lbs) MK82 = 250,000 lbs of ordnance

    = 3,850,000 lbs of ordnance being sent to Israel

    • My most common WT CAS load out: F-86-25 with 2x 1,000lbs AN-M65A1s = 2,000lbs total per flight

    • Total ground targets destroyed = 1683

    • Assuming worst efficiency of each 2,000 lbs load only destroying one target,

    1683 * 2,000 = 3,366,000 lbs of videogame ordnance dropped in 2000 hours of gameplay

    Yeah this is totally fine

    • livus@kbin.social
      9·
      7 months ago

      It’s apparently a lot more than a Western nation would drop on a built up area.

  • Maggoty@lemmy.world
    161·
    7 months ago

    For the record Biden is now doing this against the will of the American people. We want this war stopped. Also, these deliveries are illegal under the Leahy Law. It does not matter if congress appropriated money and authorized them, the Leahy law will not release the weapons if there are credible accusations of war crimes. Which is why the State Department is brazenly claiming there’s no evidence.

    They are fully counting on American’s distaste of Trump to get Biden re-elected at this point. We need to show them that’s not a blank check.

  • AutoTL;DR@lemmings.worldBEnglish
    2·
    7 months ago

    This is the best summary I could come up with:

    The Biden administration in recent days quietly authorized the transfer of billions of dollars in bombs and fighter jets to Israel despite Washington’s concerns about an anticipated military offensive in southern Gaza that could threaten the lives of hundreds of thousands of Palestinian civilians.

    The development underscores that while rifts have emerged between the United States and Israel over the war’s conduct, the Biden administration views weapons transfers as off-limits when considering how to influence the actions of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

    Some Democrats, including allies of President Biden, say the U.S. government has a responsibility to withhold weapons in the absence of an Israeli commitment to limit civilian casualties during a planned operation in Rafah, a final Hamas stronghold, and ease restrictions on humanitarian aid into the enclave, which is on the brink of famine.

    The 2,000 pound bombs, capable of leveling city blocks and leaving craters in the earth 40 feet across and larger, are almost never used anymore by Western militaries in densely populated locations due to the risk of civilian casualties.

    The Post’s reporting on the new weapons authorizations follows a visit to Washington by Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant this week in which he requested that the Biden administration expedite a range of weaponry.

    A massive influx of aid trucks is required to remedy the situation, but U.S. officials say Israel has imposed onerous restrictions on deliveries, which are deeply unpopular inside Netanyahu’s far-right coalition government.

    The original article contains 1,367 words, the summary contains 241 words. Saved 82%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!

    • Count042@lemmy.ml
      71·
      7 months ago

      Is this a game of one is not like the others?

      Because one or those three hasn’t tried to commit genocide.

  • Mongostein@lemmy.ca
    21·
    7 months ago

    How do these transfers actually work? Does anyone actually know? There’s no way it’s just “Israel asks, Biden delivers next week.”

    • Linkerbaan@lemmy.worldOP
      101·
      7 months ago

      The 100 secret arms transfers from Biden to israel went rather quickly. Almost one shipment per day.

      For this new order israel is probably going to get the bombs and planes over a few shipments, but they will be sure not to run out. Seeing the speed of the last few shipments israel might already start seeing the first bombs next week.

      • Mongostein@lemmy.ca
        14·
        7 months ago

        Ok, so your link goes nowhere and that didn’t answer my question.

        Canada didn’t stop sending arms to Saudi Arabia when that whole thing came up a couple years ago because of a contract put in place by a different government 15 years prior.

        I’m asking what the process is. America was sending weapons to Israel looooooooooong before Biden, so saying Biden instead of America sure makes it seem like you have an agenda. There’s gotta be records for these sort of transactions.