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U.S. delaying F-15 fighter jet sale to Israel: Report

Biden administration holding up critical sale of F-15 jets, flouting Congress’ approval of the transfer.

By World Israel News Staff

Despite publicly pledging that Washington’s commitment to Israel’s security is “ironclad,” the Biden administration is reportedly holding up a critical sale of 50 F-15 fighter jets to the Israeli Air Force.

According to a bombshell report from the Wall Street Journal, the U.S. is intentionally delaying the $18 billion sale – one of the largest in recent history – even though issues potentially holding up the transfer have already been resolved.

The delay is particularly notable because Congress officially affirmed its support for the sale, with two Democrats who initially opposed withdrawing their objections last month.

“That is highly unusual. The formal notification after Congress has cleared the case usually takes, at most, a week,” said Josh Paul, a State Department official who resigned due to his opposition to Israel’s war against Hamas, told the Journal.

But American officials claimed that there was no issue regarding the sale, but did not offer details as to what was dragging out the process.

“There is no policy guidance to slow down transfers to Israel,” a senior State Department official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told the Journal.

“We are looking tactically at the timing. It is not a question of whether,” they added. “It is a question of when.”

The Journal report comes on the heels of a diplomatic spat between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the White House regarding delayed arms sales to Jerusalem, while the country is engaged in a multi-front war.

In an English-language video posted to his social media accounts on Tuesday, Netanyahu said “it’s inconceivable that in the past few months, the administration has been withholding weapons and ammunitions to Israel.”

Responding to the video, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that only one arms shipment to Israel had been “paused.”

However, according to an Axios report, the White House then cancelled several important meetings with Israeli officials in Washington due to Netanyahu’s video.