Bipartisan bill on sale of bunker-buster bombs to Israel

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – A bipartisan bill to be presented in Congress this week requires the US Defense Department to consider selling bunker-buster bombs to Israel, the Times of Israel (ToI) reported Tuesday. The bill would be part of an effort to bolster Israel’s Qualitative Military Edge in the Middle East, a policy which the US is legally bound to maintain.

Preceding the presentation of the bill entitled ‘US-Israel Common Defense Authorization Act, America and Israel signed an agreement last week, in which the US promised to maintain Israeli QME: the agreement followed recent Israeli/UAE normalization accords, further to which the US plans to sell the Gulf state advanced F-35 fighter jets.

Sponsoring the bill, lawmaker Rep. Josh Gottheimer told  US Special Envoy to combat anti-Semitism Elan Carr that the aim of the legislation is to “help sure-up Israel’s QME in the region and secure both of our countries from the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran,” ToI reports.

Under the terms of the bill, the Department of Defense would consult with Israel and inform Congress on Israeli defense capabilities, “including whether transferring [Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) also known as] ‘bunker buster’ munitions… would advance both countries’ security,” Gottheimer said.

Although the US currently prohibits the sale of bunker-buster bombs, Israel has been seeking them in the event it should have to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities: some of these facilities are believed to be located too far underground for Israel’s current arsenal to reach.

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