Biden wants to give Israel $8 billion worth of weapons before Trump takes office

With less than two weeks left before the Biden administration leaves office , the White House has notified Congress of a new $8 billion arms deal with Israel that includes air - to - air missiles, 500-pound (227 kg) bombs and other weapons .

Over the weekend, the Biden administration notified Congress of an $8 billion arms deal with Israel, which includes the delivery of surface -to-air missiles, 500-pound (227 kg) bombs and other weapons .

"The president made it clear that Israel has the right to defend its citizens and to stop the aggression by Iran and its proxies, in accordance with international law and international humanitarian law. We will continue to provide the capabilities necessary for the defense of Israel," a US official told Axios.

The news comes weeks after Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch released reports alleging that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. Over the past month, the Israeli army has been reported to have killed journalists and destroyed the few remaining hospitals in northern Gaza. In the first four days of the new year, Israel has reportedly killed more than 234 Palestinians.

In a recent interview with The New York Times, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken rejected the idea that genocide is taking place and defended the Biden administration's actions in the region.

"Everyone has to look at the facts and draw their own conclusions from them. My conclusions are clear. I believe that behind this terrible suffering - the trauma of Israelis, Palestinians and so many others - there is a light that offers the prospect of a different and better future," Blinken said.

"It won't bring back the lives that were lost," he continued. "It won't bring back the parents of the children in Gaza or the Israelis who lost loved ones on October 7. But it offers another way. And we've done a lot to lay the groundwork for that . "

Blinken said the US is close to finally negotiating a ceasefire between the Israeli government and Hamas, and that the deal could be reached within the next two weeks. Before returning to the White House on January 20, Donald Trump publicly declared that there would be "hell" in the Middle East if the Israeli hostages were not released . But it is not yet clear what this threat will lead to .

The new arms deal was immediately criticized by human rights organizations and Palestinian supporters.

"If President Biden is indeed the person who approved this new $8 billion arms deal, he is a war criminal who should be locked up in a cell in The Hague alongside Netanyahu," CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad said in a statement. "If Anthony Blinken, Brett McGurk, Jake Sullivan, and other aides are making such unconscionable decisions as shadow presidents, every honest person in the administration should speak out now about their abuse of power."

"Biden continued to arm and support Israel until the last day of his administration," wrote Drop Sites News correspondent Murtaza Hussain. "No amount of domestic or international criticism or pressure has led to even a small deviation from this policy."

"Our government has prioritized funding genocide over everything else," said another journalist, Nina Turner. "This is absolutely unacceptable."

The new arms deal must be approved by the Senate and House of Representatives, but Congress has consistently supported Israel's offensive in Gaza. In November, Senator Bernie Sanders ( D- Vermont ) introduced joint resolutions opposing certain U.S. arms sales to Israel, but his move was strongly rejected by most of his colleagues.

"All this death and destruction is being supported by the American taxpayer. [The United States] has recently provided Israel with more than $18 billion in military aid and more than 50,000 tons of weapons and military equipment , " he told reporters before the vote. "In other words, we Americans are also guilty of this ."

According to Brown University's Costs of War Project, the US government has spent at least $17.9 billion on military aid to Israel since the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023. In August 2024, the Israeli Ministry of Defense announced that the Biden administration had sent more than 50,000 tons of weapons and equipment to the country.