US Secretary of State Antony Blinken approved the possible sale of fighter jets and other military equipment worth more than $20 billion to Israel, the Pentagon said on Tuesday.
In a statement, the Pentagon said Mr Blinken approved the possible sale of F-15 jets and equipment worth nearly $19 billion that Israel had requested to buy.
He also approved Israel possibly buying tank cartridges worth about $774 million and army vehicles worth $583 million, the Pentagon said.
“The United States is committed to the security of Israel, and it is vital to US national interests to assist Israel to develop and maintain a strong and ready self-defence capability,” the statement read. “This proposed sale is consistent with those objectives.”
The tank rounds would be almost immediately available for delivery, Reuters reported, while the Boeing F-15 fighter jets would take years to produce and deliver. As required by law, the Pentagon alerted Congress of the possible sale.
The US has staunchly supported Israel as its top Middle East ally prosecutes a war in the Gaza Strip that has devastated the Palestinian enclave.
Local health authorities estimate nearly 40,000 people have died in Israel's military operations, which began after Hamas-led attacks in southern Israel on October 7 killed about 1,200.
Pro-Palestine advocates and rights activists – including former US government staff – have demanded that Washington halt its arms supplies to Israel, citing concerns over human rights breaches and international court investigation.
President Joe Biden has paused the release of high-payload bombs over worries that they would be used in Israeli operations in Rafah, a city populated by displaced Gazans.
As it approves weapons sales to Israel, Washington has also tried to arrange a ceasefire deal in Gaza that could avert a wider Middle East war.
Fears of a broader war have increased since the recent killings of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran and Hezbollah military commander Fouad Shukr in Beirut. Both drew threats of retaliation against Israel.
Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
