US Defence Secretary to visit Israel
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth is set to visit Israel on July 8th.
Amid growing tensions in the Middle East, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth is set to visit Israel, according to Middle East Eye via CNN on July 8th.
The July 8th visit will mark Hegseth’s first visit to Israel since being appointed as Defence Secretary.
He is expected to meet with his Israeli counterpart, Israel Katz, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Reportedly, the visit will address Israeli concerns about Washington’s potential sale of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey.
Historically, the sale of F-35 jets in the Middle East has been restricted to Israel, leading to concerns that increased availability of the jets will undermine Israel’s air superiority.
The visit comes at a time of growing concerns about complicity in war crimes amid Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, war on Lebanon and the US-Israeli war on Iran.
On June 30th, it was reported that Democratic Representative Greg Casar intended to vote for an amendment to halt US aid to Israel.
Republican Representative Thomas Massie introduced the amendment to cancel $3.3 billion in annual aid to Israel and remove funding earmarked for Israel in the State Department appropriations bill.
The US is Israel’s largest arms supplier, accounting for 53% of Israel’s total conventional arms imports since 2023; Germany covers the remaining 47%.
However, in May, Netanyahu announced that Israel was looking to reduce its reliance on foreign military aid to focus on a stronger domestic defence industry.
Since its founding in 1948, Israel has received US economic and military assistance worth over $300 billion.
Despite concerns about complicity in war crimes, Israel has maintained military ties with countries including Serbia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France and Britain.
Israel’s military cooperation is not limited to Western nations, as India, Thailand and Morocco have also sought strategic partnerships with Israel.
Human Rights Watch has condemned ongoing Israeli arms sales and urged governments to halt weapons shipments to Israel over concerns about war crimes being committed in Iran, Lebanon and the occupied Palestinian territories.
Maghrebi has contacted the Department of War for comment on Hegseth’s visit to Israel; the Department responded by stating it had “nothing to provide.”
Middle East Eye via CNN, Maghrebi.org
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