State Department greenlights $7.4bn arms deal with Israel
The US State Department has signed off on the sale to Israel of $6.75bn in bombs, guidance kits and fuses, in addition to $660m in Hellfire missiles, according to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA).
“The United States is committed to the security of Israel, and it is vital to US national interests to assist Israel to develop and maintain a strong and ready self-defence capability,” the DSCA said.
Over the past 15 months, critics of Israel’s war on Gaza have repeatedly called on the US government to cut off weapons transfers to Israel, alleging they make the US complicit in the destruction of the coastal enclave.
Pro-Israel groups provide names of Palestine supporters to US immigration: Report
Pro-Israel groups in the US are compiling lists of pro-Palestine activists to hand to immigration authorities for deportation, according to a new report by The Intercept.
The US outlet investigated groups attempting to assist President Trump’s recent executive order demanding “the removal of resident aliens who violate our laws”.
The order – issued in response to pro-Palestine college campus protests across the US in 2024 – is intended to “quell pro-Hamas vandalism and intimidation, and investigate and punish anti-Jewish racism in leftist, anti-American colleges and universities”.
The Intercept report says that Betar US, Mothers Against College Antisemitism, the Chicago Jewish Alliance, and the Shirion Collective have taken steps to compile lists of pro-Palestine supporters to share with immigration authorities, or harass them directly with a “bounty system”.
Essay Pro