Bypassing Congress for second time, Biden administration fast-tracks military aid to Israel amid Gaza war

The U.S. Biden administration will advance its second fast-tracked munition export to Israel amid the ongoing war with the terror organization Hamas.

On Friday, the White House decided to bypass the more time-consuming congressional review concerning weapons exports.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken argued that the emergency situation in the Middle East required the immediate export of 155-mm artillery shells and other equipment to Israel, amounting to $147.5 million. In early December, the U.S. top diplomat greenlighted the fast-track export of 14,000 tank shells to the Israeli military, worth some $106 million.

Vocal debates within the Congress on U.S. policies on immigration and border security have delayed a congressional approval of U.S. President Joe Biden’s request to secure an almost $106 billion assistance package for Ukraine, Israel and national security issues.

The Biden administration proposed $14.3 billion in military assistance to the Jewish state as it faces wars on several fronts against Iran’s terrorist proxies Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis and Iran-backed terror militias in Syria.

However, Biden is under pressure from progressive Democratic lawmakers who demand linking military aid to Israel with a reduction of civilian casualties in the densely populated Gaza Strip. While Israel seeks to minimize civilian casualties, the task is very difficult because Hamas continues to deliberately use civilians as human shields and embed themselves in civilian places like hospitals, schools and mosques.

The United States has tried to balance military support for Israel with an increased focus on humanitarian aid for the civilian population in the Gaza Strip.

As of early December, the U.S. had provided Israel Defense Forces with a total of 15,000 bombs since the beginning of the war. At the time, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris stressed Washington’s commitment to provide Israel with the means to defend itself while simultaneously prioritizing Gazan civilians.

“President Biden and I have been clear,” Harris stated. "Israel has a right to defend itself and we will remain steadfast in that conviction. President Biden and I have also been clear: As Israel defends itself, it matters how,” the vice president emphasized.

The Biden administration is under growing domestic and international pressure to call for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. If realized prematurely, it would effectively preserve the terror organization Hamas as a continued potent threat against Israel’s civilian population, especially for Israelis residing in communities adjacent to the Gaza Strip border.

Earlier this week, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer met to discuss a “different phase” of the war between Israel and Hamas. The senior American and Israeli officials reportedly discussed "the transition to a different phase of the war to maximize focus on high-value Hamas targets." 

The White House wants the IDF to shift from large-scale military operations to more pinpointed operations against specific senior Hamas terror operatives. The overall purpose of this new strategy is to reduce the number of civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip. Sullivan and Dermer also discussed ways to increase the inflow of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

However, earlier in December, Blinken denied that Washington is dictating the length of Israe's war against Hamas in Gaza.

“We have these discussions with Israel, including about the duration as well as how it’s prosecuting this campaign against Hamas. These are decisions for Israel to make,” Blinken emphasized.