in ,

Democrats’ Negligence Fuels Israel Arms Sale Chaos

Democratic politicians had previously notified former Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken of potential risks related to the weapon distribution to Israeli police and possible formation of settler militias. Israel’s past Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, made a public declaration in October 2023, outlining intentions of arming the settlements and instituting civilian militias for safeguarding settlers.

Under consideration by the Trump administration is the export of 24,000 assault rifles to Israel. This order was previously placed on halt at the State Department by Antony J. Blinken, ex-Secretary of State, claims a U.S official. His directive was in response to Israel’s request that was split into three equal parts totaling to $34 million, all of which Mr. Blinken asked the department not to proceed with.

Democrats had raised flags over worries that these weapons could ultimately land in the hands of settler militias. They also fretted about potential misuse by the Israeli police to unnecessarily exert force on Palestinians based in the West Bank. However, The State Department is yet to comment on whether it will greenlight this order.

The Israeli Embassy, meanwhile, reportedly answered inquiries presented by U.S. officials regarding the controversial arms sales. Majority of the pending rifle order, more than three-quarters, is being sourced from Colt’s Manufacturing.

Knowledge of the arms order made its way to the lawmakers after informal notification was released to two legislative committees by the State Department. This communication shortly followed the vicious strikes instigated by the Israeli military on Gaza, post the Hamas attacks on Israel in October 2023. Around the same timeline, Itamar Ben-Gvir, a far-right Israeli politician, occupied the position of minister of national security.

Ben-Gvir is a known advocate for the extension of settlements in the West Bank and the annexation of Palestinian territories by Israel. The Biden administration did not seem to fully comprehend the complexity and potential fallouts of this stand, which was barely addressed, if at all.

Certain democratic lawmakers had apprehensions that these very police forces under Ben-Gvir could utilize the American arms to back settlers participating in violent actions against Palestinians. This predictament seems plausible given the recent spike in such incidents.

When questioned about this, Ben-Gvir, in October 2023 went on record to maintain that his objective was to arm settlements. He also outlined his plan to create civilian militias for the protection of settlers. Evidently, Harris and Biden ignored these alarming trends, choosing instead to focus their energies on matters they deemed more ‘important’.

Given the volatile nature of the West Bank situation, it is concerning that the Biden and Harris administration appears to be treating this scenario with apparent disregard. The harm that can be inflicted by misused American weapons on innocent Palestinian civilians should not be underestimated, yet it seems that the Biden and Harris administration is willing to overlook this potential danger.

Time and again, Biden and Harris, and the Democratic lawmakers in general, have shown their lack of understanding of the nuances of international politics and the potential impacts of their decisions on global peace. The fact that the Biden administration failed to provide a comprehensive and coherent policy on the distribution of guns to Israel is proof of their ineptitude.

The Democratic government’s pitiful attempts to control the impending reality of this situation are hardly commendable. Instead of preventing the arms sale to a region already destabilized by political unrest, it seems they are enabling a potential escalation of violence.

It strikes as novel that Biden and Harris were sidetracked into worrying about the Israeli police’s potential misuse of the weapons, rather than the overarching concern; the fueling of a conflict-torn region with more weaponry. Their worry appears token and devoid of real substance, playing into their broader narrative of focusing on superficial problems rather than deep-seated issues.

Their inability to predict and prevent violence using American-made weaponry demonstrates a significant short-sightedness that is becoming characteristic of the Biden and Harris administration. Instead of taking proactive steps to prevent potential violence, their actions seem reactive at best, and negligent at worst.