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On Wednesday, the United States confirmed that it had restocked Israel’s ammunition supplies, only hours after it issued a strong condemnation of an Israeli strike on an UN-run school in Gaza.
According to the Pentagon, On July 20th, the Israeli military had put forth a request for additional ammunition so that it could restock its diminishing supplies. Three days later, the US Defense Department had approved the sale.
“The United States is committed to the security of Israel, and it is vital to U.S. national interests to assist Israel to develop and maintain a strong and ready self-defense capability.This defense sale is consistent with those objectives”, Rear Admiral John Kirby, spokesman for the Pentagon, said in a statement.
Two of the munitions came from an obscure stockpile of ammunition the US military had stored in Israel for emergency use. The War Reserve Stockpile Ammunition-Israel is thought to be worth $1 billion.
Admiral Kirby also stressed that the munitions had been in the War Reserve Stockpile Ammunition-Israel for “a few years, well before the current crisis”.
“All stocks in WRSA-I, as required by law, are ‘in excess to U.S. requirements.Issuing munitions from the WRSA-I stockpile was strictly a sourcing decision and White House approval was not required”, he said.
Kirby, however, did not indicate if the White House was involved sale of ammunition.
The decision could prove to be very controversial, coming almost immediately after Washington expressed its growing concern for the death toll in Gaza – over 1,300 Palestinians have been killed due to the Israeli aggression since July 8th.
Kirby added thatPentagon chief Chuck Hagel had told his Israeli counterpart that the US was concerned about the consequences of the conflict and had asked for a ceasefire to end the conflict.
In a telephone exchange with Moshe Yaalon, the Israeli Defense Minister, Hagel expressedthe United States’ continued concern about the rising number of Palestinian civilian deaths and loss of Israeli lives, as well as the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza”. He also “stressed the need for a humanitarian ceasefire that ends hostilities and leads to a permanent cessation of hostilities”, a spokesman said.
