The Trump administration reverses the Biden-era hold by approving the sale of 20,000 American assault rifles to Israel

The United States has finally authorized the transfer of 20,000 assault rifles to Israel, which President Biden had previously postponed, according to sources.

A document examined by Reuters and an insider with knowledge of the transaction reveal that the Trump administration has moved forward with selling more than 20,000 assault rifles manufactured in the United States to Israel. After being delayed under former President Joe Biden because of worries that the guns could be used by radical Israeli settlers, the sale was finally approved last month.

On March 6, a congressional notification announced that the Israeli National Police was the selected receiver of a $24 million sale of Colt Carbine 5.56 mm fully automatic rifles.

Even though the agreement was small in comparison to the billions of dollars in US military aid that Israel typically receives, it was scrutinized under the Biden administration. The deal had been postponed by officials because of concerns that Israelis in the Israeli-occupied West Bank may abuse the guns by attacking Palestinians violently.

Under Biden, the United States sanctioned groups and people suspected of committing such acts of violence. The U.S. position changed, though, when President Trump issued an executive order reversing those penalties on January 20, his first day in office. Since then, the sale of weapons to Israel worth billions of dollars has been approved by his administration.

The letter sent to Congress on March 6 said that the US administration had approved the weapon sale after taking into account “political, military, economic, human rights, and arms control considerations.”

Whether Israel was asked for any guarantees about the usage of the firearms was not addressed by the State Department.