United States support for Israel in the 2023 Israel–Hamas war

United States support for Israel in the 2023 Israel–Hamas war
Following the 2023 Israel–Hamas war on October 7, the United States started sending warships and warplanes into the region, prepared to give Israel "whatever it needs".
It promised more military aid to Israel, which already receives $3.8 billion in US military aid.
The United States sided with Israel in rejecting the non-binding resolution passed by the UN General Assembly on October 27, which called for a humanitarian ceasefire to allow aid to reach Gaza. At the more influential UN Security Council, Washington had vetoed a resolution similar to this one the week before.
Background
After Hamas gunmen attacked Israel on October 7, killing 1,400 people in over a dozen massacres, Israel began an air campaign against Gaza.
More than 8,300 Palestinians have been killed since the start of Israel's retaliatory attack on Gaza, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Israel has placed a complete blockade on Gaza to prevent fuel and water from entering the Gaza Strip, as the IDF appears to be preparing for a ground invasion on the narrow, heavily populated coastal strip. The United States described Hamas' preemptive attack as "unprovoked", and started sending warships and warplanes into the region, prepared to give Israel whatever it needs.
Since Israel's founding in 1948, it has received $158 billion in military aid from the United States, making it the greatest recipient in history.
Following Israel's victory over surrounding Arab forces in 1967 and its subsequent occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza, military assistance to the country surged significantly. Iron Dome, which became operational in 2011, was created with the help of the United States, which is responsible for providing components for the system, including allocating more than $1.5 billion for missile defense for Israel in 2022.
As part of a record $38 billion agreement over ten years negotiated under former US President Barack Obama in 2016, US military aid to Israel exceeded $3.8 billion in 2023. Of the $3.8 billion in military aid given to Israel this year, half a billion was for Israel's missile defense. Washington has announced that it will replenish Israel's ammunition used in the recent war against Hamas.
Timeline
Hours after the 2023 Israel–Hamas war on October 7, the United States started sending warships and warplanes into the region, prepared to give Israel whatever it needs.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin ordered the deployment of United States Navy's Carrier Strike Group 12, led by the USS Gerald R. Ford.
Israel asked the United States for Iron Dome interceptors, and President Joe Biden said Washington would quickly provide additional equipment and resources, including ammunition, which are going to reach Israel within days.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington would provide its "full support" to Israel, with guided missile launchers and F-35 fighter jets among the equipment being sent.
By October 10, more ships and troops were on their way to Israel, and additional troops in the United States were being prepared to deploy if requested. One US aircraft carrier and its strike group were already in the eastern Mediterranean, and a second US carrier had left and was underway.
In addition, three naval warships were sent to the area. A large number of aircraft were sent to US military bases throughout the Middle East, and US special operations forces cooperated with the Israeli military in planning and intelligence.
As Israel prepares for a possible ground attack on Gaza, the Biden administration and prominent members of Congress are preparing an aid package from the United States with about $2 billion in additional funding to support Israel, Time reported.
On October 12, Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated America's commitment to Israel's security during a news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
on October 14 Defence Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III announced that he had dispatched a second aircraft carrier to the eastern Mediterranean “to deter hostile actions against Israel or any efforts towards widening this war”. In addition, the Air Force was sending twice as many F-16, A-10, and F-15E squadrons as before to the Persian Gulf region in order to intensify its land-based assault aircraft presence there. According to officials, the United States would have an aerial armada of more than 100 attack planes when combined with the four squadrons of F/A-18 jets that were stationed onboard each carrier. Additionally, to help with intelligence gathering and preparation for any operations aimed at locating and rescuing the 150 hostages—among them, some Americans—that Hamas is allegedly keeping, the Pentagon had dispatched a small team of Special Operations personnel to Israel.
On October 15, the White House declared that it would attempt this week to get congressional approval of a fresh $2 billion weaponry aid package for Israel and the Ukraine.
Also US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered about 2,000 troops to be prepared for possible deployment to Israel, several defense officials said.
According to three American officials and one Israeli official, the Biden administration was discussing about the possibility of using military force if Hezbollah joins the Gaza war.
The United States was prepared to send more forces as a deterrent to the Middle East if necessary.
By October 17, five shipments of American weapons and equipment had arrived in Israel.The United States has put 2,000 troops on high alert and extended the deployment of an aircraft carrier in the Middle East.
On October 19, one day after travelling to Israel, US President urged Congress to increase military aid to the Jewish state and Ukraine.
Biden claimed that Hamas aimed to "annihilate" democracy in Israel.
On October 20, Biden announced that the additional fund he asked Congress to authorize would come to a total of $14 billion, as part of a $105 billion military aid package.
On October 21 the Pentagon declared that two of its most potent missile defence systems—a THAAD battery and extra Patriot batteries—would be deployed to the Middle East.
Analysis
U.S. lawmakers have long viewed Israel as an ally to help protect U.S. strategic interests in the Middle East. Maintaining Israel's regional military hegemony, according to Al-Jazeera, is a central element of U.S. Middle East policy. This has been achieved with U.S. financial aid and an increase in Israel's military arsenal.
Josh Paul, who resigned over sending arms to Israel, has described Biden policy in favor of "the status quo of the occupation" and a "shortsighted, destructive, unjust" policy that "will only lead to more and deeper suffering for both the Israeli and the Palestinian people — and is not in the long term American interest."
Reactions
Inside the U.S.
Eva Borgwardt, the political director of IfNotNow, a progressive Jewish organisation stated: "The White House and many in the US government are clear as they should be that 1,000 Israelis killed is too many, Our question for them is: How many Palestinian deaths are too many?"
Alexandra Rojas, the executive director of Justice Democrats, begged the president to take immediate action to stop a ground invasion that would "ensure thousands more civilian casualties, bring us closer to an all-out regional conflict in the Middle East, and thrust the United States into another endless war" in a statement released on Friday amid increasing bombing and a communications blackout in Gaza.
A Quinnipiac study done following Isreal-Hamas war revealed that 76 percent of voters believed supporting Israel is in the national interest of the United States, and 64 percent approved of sending weapons and military equipment to Israel. This support was more pronounced among older age groups, with 51% of those under 35 disapproving of this action.
A team of legal experts alerted the Biden administration and the ICC prosecutor that the U.S. government might be legally implicated in Israel's ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people.
The executive director of DAWN, Sarah Leah Whitson, stated that Biden's funding request "isn't just giving a green light for ethnic cleansing—it's bankrolling it."
Outside the U.S.
Iranian officials claimed on October 30 that attacks against U.S. forces in Iraq and other parts of the region were the consequence of "wrong American policies," which included Washington's backing of Israel in its war against Hamas.
See also
Israel–United States military relations
References
External links
United States
Bilateral military relations of the United States
United States
United States foreign policy
2023 Israel–Hamas war
Wars involving Israel