Trump seeking congressional approval to sell $6 billion in weapons to Israel

The Trump administration has told Congress it plans to sell nearly $6 billion in weapons to Israel, a fresh surge of support for the US ally as it faces increasing isolation over the war with Hamas in Gaza.

The planned package includes a $3.8 billion sale for 30 AH-64 Apache helicopters, nearly doubling Israel’s current stocks, and a $1.9 billion sale for 3,200 infantry assault vehicles for the Israel Defense Forces, according to a US official and another person familiar with the proposal who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss plans that have not been made public.

Another $750 million worth of support parts for armored personnel carriers and power supplies is also working its way through the sale process, a person familiar with the matter said.

The weapons would not be delivered for at least two to three years. The sales are part of a 10-year agreement between the US and Israel that is nearing its end.

The huge planned sales come as US efforts to broker an end to the nearly two-year war between Israel and Hamas have stalled, and after Israel’s strike on Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar, drew widespread condemnation among US allies in the Middle East.

The US has kept up its support despite growing international pressure on Israel and attempts from a growing number of US Senate Democrats to block the sale of offensive weapons to Israel.

The State Department declined to comment on the sales, which were first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

Israel has launched a new offensive, pressing forward with plans to conquer Gaza City that have drawn strong international condemnation.

The UK, which last year said it was suspending exports of some weapons to Israel out of concerns they could be used to violate international humanitarian laws, recently barred Israeli government officials from attending the country’s biggest arms fair.

Turkey also said it was closing its airspace to Israeli government planes and any cargo of arms for the Israeli military, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in a speech condemned Israeli attacks on Gaza as disproportionate.

Trump said Friday that he intends to meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Washington next week, with plans to discuss the purchases of Boeing aircraft and a deal for F-16 fighter jets. Trump has shown a fondness for Erdogan despite Israeli anger over the Turkish leader’s support for Hamas.

The Biden administration paused a shipment of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel over concerns about civilian casualties, but Trump lifted that hold when he took office in January.

The Trump administration has already approved about $12 billion in major military assistance to Israel this year. Most recently, the US in June approved a half-billion-dollar arms sale to Israel to resupply its military with bomb guidance kits for precision.

This latest request from the Trump administration was sent to Congress about a month ago.

The $6-billion figure was confirmed by two other people familiar with the matter.

Congress routinely conducts informal reviews of such arms sales at the committee level, sending the requests back to the State Department for the more formal process.