U.S. Military Sent Israel Weapons Without White House Approval, Report States

Image by Getty Images
Israel reportedly secured weapons shipments directly from the United States military without the Obama administration approving the deal.
On July 20, days after Israel began its ground invasion in Gaza, Israel requested and received a shipment of munitions from the Pentagon, according to the Wall Street Journal.
While Defense Department officials say both sides followed established protocol, the Journal reported that White House officials were upset that the military did not get White House approval before sending the shipment. The request came as the U.S. urged Israeli restraint in its Gaza operation, and days before Israel rebuffed a cease-fire proposal from Secretary of State John Kerry on July 25.
The Obama administration put a subsequent missile shipment on hold. It is now requiring that the White House review every Israeli weapons request, rather than having the U.S. Defense Department and Israeli Defense Ministry handle transactions directly.
Relations have been tense between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and the Obama administration throughout the conflict, which began on July 8. But Ron Dermer, Israel’s ambassador to the United States, said relations between the two governments were strong.
“Israel deeply appreciates the support we have received during the recent conflict in Gaza from both the Obama administration and the Congress for Israel’s right to defend itself and for increased funding of Iron Dome,” Israel’s U.S.-funded missile defense system, Dermer said, according to the Journal.
"Why I became the Forward’s Editor-in-Chief"
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
