1/ The Biden administration authorized another weapons transfer to Israel despite public frustration with Israel’s conduct in the war and opposition to Israel’s planned invasion of Rafah, which could lead to mass casualties and exacerbate the humanitarian disaster on Gaza. The weapons package, worth billions of dollars, includes more than 1,800 MK84 2,000-pound bombs and 500 MK82 500-pound bombs, which have been linked to civilian deaths during Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. It was approved in 2008 but is only being fulfilled now. The Biden administration, however, is considering a new weapons sales worth more than $18 billion to Israel of fighter jets, air-to-air missiles, and guidance kits, which turn dumb bombs (like the MK84 and MK82) into precision-guided weapons. While the sale is pending U.S. government approval, it will be years before the weapons arrive in Israel. U.S. and Israeli officials, meanwhile, held virtual talks to discuss the Biden administration’s alternative proposals to the invasion of Rafah, where more than one million Palestinians are sheltering with nowhere to go. The meeting was supposed to take place last week in-person, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceled it after the U.S. didn’t veto a U.N. resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. (Washington Post / NBC News / Associated Press / ABC News / CNN)
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2024/04/01/day-1168/