US to fast-track $3 billion arms sale to Israel, including bombs and armored bulldozers
Transaction includes D9s withheld last year over concern IDF used them to raze homes in Gaza, as Trump scraps predecessor’s order conditioning aid on commitment to human rights
The US State Department told Congress on Friday that it plans to sell nearly $3 billion in weapons to Israel, including thousands of bombs and $295 million worth of armored bulldozers that had been held up by the previous administration over human rights concerns that US President Donald Trump has largely eschewed.
The prospective weapons sales were notified to US Congress on an emergency basis, meaning they will not be subject to review by the House and Senate’s foreign relations committees. Trump’s predecessor, US President Joe Biden, also utilized the measure to approve arms sales to Israel during the war in Gaza.
In a statement, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio “has determined and provided detailed justification that an emergency exists that requires the immediate sale to the Government of Israel of the above defense articles and defense services in the national security interests of the United States, thereby waiving the Congressional review requirements.”
The proposed arms sale “will improve Israel’s capability to meet current and future threats, strengthen its homeland defense, and serve as a deterrent to regional threats,” the DSCA said.
According to the State Department, three separate sales were sent to US Congress for approval.
One is for $2.04 billion for 35,529 MK 84 or BLU-117 heavy bombs and 4,000 I-2000 Penetrator warheads.
While the Pentagon said that deliveries would begin in 2026, it also said “there is a possibility that a portion of this procurement will come from US stock” which could mean immediate delivery for some of the weapons.
The second sale is for $675.7 million for 201 MK 83 1,000-pound bombs, 4,799 BLU-110A/B 1,000-pound bombs, and 5,000 JDAM guidance kits. Deliveries are expected in 2028.
The third sale, estimated at $295 million, includes D9 Caterpillar bulldozers and related equipment. The deliveries of the bulldozers, which the Israeli military uses, are expected to begin in 2027.
In November, it was reported that the Biden administration was holding up the sale of the D9 bulldozers due to the IDF’s use of them to raze homes in Gaza. The IDF has said the homes were used by Hamas and accuses the terror group of using civilians as human shields.
Trump, who took office six weeks ago, has also walked back other Biden measures meant to curb arms sales to Israel.
Earlier this week, US officials said Trump — who has made massive cuts to foreign aid — rescinded National Security Memorandum 20, which required recipients of US foreign aid to commit in writing that they will not use them to target civilians or restrict humanitarian aid. Biden had signed the order last year amid lobbying by progressives in his Democratic party.
Trump also scrapped Biden’s order blocking a shipment to Israel of 2,000-pound “bunker buster” bombs, such as those included in the US State Department’s arms sale notification on Friday. The shipment of 1,800 bombs arrived in Israel last month.
Biden had blocked the shipment in May, as Israel, over his opposition, launched an operation in Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah.
Hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians had sought shelter there amid the war, sparked on October 7, 2023, when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists stormed southern Israel to kill some 1,200 people and take 251 hostages.
