Trump lifts ban on transfer of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel
The US president has lifted a ban on transfer of a single shipment of 2,000-pound (900-kilogram) bombs to the occupied Palestinian territories, which had been frozen by his predecessor in a token criticism of the Israeli regime’s ferocious bombardment of densely-populated areas in the Gaza Strip with American ammunition.
Donald Trump eliminated the prohibition that had been imposed by Joe Biden on Saturday, American news and analysis website Axios reported, citing Israeli officials.
Now, the Pentagon would be shipping 1,800 of the MK-84 bombs “in the coming days,” the officials added.
Biden had taken the decision last May, well into the Israeli regime’s incessant war of genocide against Gaza and amid billions-strong ramped-up American military support for Tel Aviv during the brutal military onslaught.
At the time, Washington tried to portray imposition of the ban as a means of its protesting Tel Aviv’s invasion of the city of Rafah that sits along the coastal territory’s border and houses the territory’s lifeline Rafah Crossing.
Even as early as last July, rumors were circulating around pointing to the likelihood of the US’s unblocking the shipment.
However, the decision triggered, what many described as, “the biggest” crisis to hit the American-Israeli ties during the warfare, featuring the Democratic-leaning US-based pro-Israeli community’s strongly attacking Biden’s administration, and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s using the opportunity to mobilize Republicans against the president.
According to Axios, “Netanyahu and his loyalists...used Biden's decision to falsely claim there was a US ‘arms embargo’” on the Israeli regime.
Under Biden, the US provided the regime with a whopping $17.9 billion in military aid to Israel from October 2023, which witnessed the launch of the war, to October 2024 alone. The figure is around six times the volume of Washington’s routine annual military aid to the regime.
The war, however, went on to last until less than a week ago, when Tel Aviv approved of a ceasefire deal with the Gaza-based resistance movement Hamas amid unyielding and successful Palestinian and regional resistance operations against the regime.
Euro-Med condemns Switzerland’s arrest of journalist Abunimah, urges release
Freedom of Palestinian abductees, cutting across factions, reflects unity of cause
Trump calls for moving Palestinians to Egypt, Jordan to ‘clean out’ Gaza
VIDEO | Press TV's news headlines
Israel to let displaced Palestinians return to north Gaza
Israel-Lebanon ceasefire extended till February 18
VIDEO | 'We will not leave our land to Israel'
Trump orders sanctions on Colombia after Petro blocks deportation flights
VIDEO | Israeli violation of ceasefires
Iran's IRGC Aerospace Force unveils ‘Gaza’ super-heavy drone
VIDEO | Switzerland arrests Palestinian-American journalist Abunimah
PressTV NEWSLETTER
now
This makes it easy to access the Press TV website
