WASHINGTON — On Wednesday, Axios reported
that the Biden administration has suspended licenses for selling over 20,000
US-made rifles to Israel. The decision is linked to concerns about attacks by
extremist Israeli settlers against Palestinian civilians in the Occupied West
Bank, as per information from U.S. officials revealed on December 14, 2023.
اضافة اعلان
According to Axios, a review by the
U.S.State Department on the arms deal indicates ongoing concerns about the
perceived lack of efforts by the Israeli government to control extremist
settler violence. This development comes after Israel's request for
rifles for civilian first response teams near the borders with Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria in
the first week of the war.
Approaching the Israeli request cautiously,
the
Biden administration cited concerns that extremist nationalist minister
Itamar Ben Gvir, overseeing the police, might distribute rifles to settlers in
the Occupied West Bank, as reported by American officials, Khaberni reported.
Several weeks after initially approving the
deal, U.S. State Department officials decided to slow down the process and
subject the licenses to a new review. They state that export licenses for U.S.
defense companies will be approved only after ensuring weapons won't be
diverted to civilian teams in Israeli settlements.
A State Department spokesperson commented,
“We are prohibited from publicly confirming or commenting on details regarding
direct commercial defense sales licensing activities.”
Simultaneously, the Israeli army has
increased raids and arrest operations in cities and towns in the Occupied West
Bank amid the ongoing Gaza war since October 7.
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