While White House officials sometimes pay lip service to the principle of mitigating civilian casualties, White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby clearly indicated that Israel’s war in Gaza must go on. There’s no question that the Israeli campaign has “visited significant damage” on Hamas, Kirby told reporters yesterday, “But Hamas still exists as a viable threat. There are still Hamas fighters. There is still some Hamas infrastructure. Hamas still has some abilities.” Israel’s destruction of hospitals in Gaza and U.S. complicity in those crimes was not even raised during the briefing.
Kirby’s statement was followed by news reports later that the White House has reportedly notified Congress of its plans to go ahead with an $8 billion arms sale to Israel. According to a report in Axios, the sale includes AIM-120C-8 advanced air-to-air missiles for fighter jets to defend against airborne threats, including drones; 155mm artillery shells and Hellfire AGM-114 missiles for attack helicopters; small diameter bombs, JDAM tail kits that turn “dumb bombs” to precision munitions, 500-lb warheads and bomb fuzes.
One source familiar with the arms sale told Axios that the State Department told Congress the deal is aimed at “supporting Israel’s long-term security by resupplying stocks of critical munitions and air defense capabilities.”
“The President has made clear Israel has a right to defend its citizens, consistent with international law and international humanitarian law, and to deter aggression from Iran and its proxy organizations. We will continue to provide the capabilities necessary for Israel’s defense,” a U.S. official said.
