Australia’s Largest Christian News Site

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has expedited delivery of military equipment worth approximately $4 billion to Israel, he announced on Saturday. His decision, which used emergency authorities, “reverse[d] the Biden Administration’s partial arms embargo, which wrongly withheld a number of weapons and ammunition from Israel,” he said, showing that “Israel has no greater ally in the White House than President Trump.”

Rubio’s decision came days after President Trump rescinded a Biden-era memo (NSM-20), which “imposed baseless and politicized conditions on military assistance to Israel at a time when our close ally was fighting a war of survival on multiple fronts against Iran and terror proxies,” he wrote.

Among other requirements, the memo required Israel to provide “certain credible and reliable written assurances” that the weapons would not be used to target civilians — a near-impossible task when their adversaries deliberately hide among civilians, and the Biden administration seemed to believe Hamas’s accusations about Israel, dutifully regurgitated by the international press.

Course Correction

On Friday, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, part of the Department of Defense, disclosed the details of three weapons sales to Congress, which totalled approximately $3 billion. In one sale, Israel purchased 35,529 MK 84 or BLU-117 heavy bombs and 4,000 I-2000 Penetrator warheads for $2.04 billion. These are the bunker-buster bombs Israel uses to strike terrorists in their underground safehouses with minimal surface damage, which were pointedly withheld from the beleaguered state.

In the second sale, Israel purchased 201 MK 83 1,000-pound bombs, 4,799 BLU-110A/B 1,000-pound bombs, and 5,000 JDAM guidance kits for $675.7 million, with delivery expected in 2028. In a third sale, Israel purchased $295 million worth of D9 Caterpillar bulldozers and other equipment, with delivery expected in 2027.

The Biden administration did not block these sales with the same fanfare, but Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) warned that it “has manipulated Department of Defense, Department of State, and congressional approval processes to broaden the arms embargo behind the scenes,” including the shipments of bulldozers and MK-83 bombs.

In total, the Trump administration “has approved nearly $12 billion in major FMS [foreign military sales] sales to Israel,” wrote Rubio.

Alongside these weapons shipments to Israel, the Trump administration has simultaneously reoriented the Israel-Hamas ceasefire in Israel’s favour. According to the three-phase ceasefire negotiated in January, the first phase — during which Hamas would release hostages in exchange for terrorists and humanitarian supplies — was supposed to last six weeks, and that time is now up.

In the second phase, the two sides were supposed to negotiate a permanent end to the war. However, U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff got “the impression that at this stage there was no possibility of bridging the positions of the parties to end the war, and that more time was needed for talks on a permanent ceasefire.”

Instead, Witkoff proposed an extension of the first phase of the ceasefire through Ramadan and Passover (through mid-April), with the release of the 63 remaining hostages. The Israeli government responded Sunday that it supports Witkoff’s new proposal.

However, Hamas rejected Witkoff’s proposal to extend the first phase of the ceasefire. On Monday, an Arab-Israeli citizen carried out a terror attack in the northern city of Haifa, killing one and wounding four in a stabbing spree at a bus station.

On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced it would halt “the entry of all goods and supplies to the Gaza Strip,” which was part of the conditions for the first phase of the ceasefire. “Israel will not allow a ceasefire without a release of our hostages,” Netanyahu declared. “If Hamas persists in its refusal, there will be additional consequences.”

Moral Clarity

In another departure from the Biden administration, the Trump administration’s National Security Council actually supported the Israeli government’s decision to withhold aid shipments from entering Gaza. “Israel has negotiated in good faith since the beginning of this administration to ensure the release of hostages held captive by Hamas terrorists,” National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes said. “We will support their decision on next steps given Hamas had indicated it’s no longer interested in a negotiated ceasefire.”

This is not just a change in policy. This is a recognition of who the good guys are and who the bad guys are in this conflict. This is a restoration of moral clarity, in place of the moral ambivalence shown by the Biden administration.

The Trump administration has finally demonstrated that it can recognise the fact that Israel is our ally, while Hamas is a designated terrorist group. Hamas attacked Israel without provocation. Hamas still holds hostages it captured illegally — including civilians — during a surprise, cross-border raid. Israel takes great pains to minimise civilian casualties, while Hamas callously sacrifices civilians as a military and propaganda tactic. Israel holds popular elections and recognises civil rights, while Hamas massacred its opposition in a coup. Israel would stop the fighting tomorrow if its security were guaranteed, while Hamas wants to annihilate its opponent.

A morally coherent U.S. policy must recognise these realities and treat Israel as our friend and Hamas as our enemy. But the Biden administration spent 15 months throwing roadblocks in Israel’s way, insisting they supply Hamas with food and medical supplies, and insinuating that Israel was guilty for the civilian casualties caused by Hamas’s tactics. The Trump administration has now reversed those nonsensical positions, giving Israel a freer hand to prosecute the war.

The timing of these changes was strategic, coming only hours after President Trump’s explosive White House meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. While Ukraine’s situation is not identical to Israel, it still handily wins any moral comparison with Russia, as the power that is freer, more considerate of human life, and more aligned with U.S. interests. Trump’s unexpected rejection of Zelensky had the potential to spook other U.S.-aligned powers that rely on American support. By deepening its support of Israel, the Trump administration at least took steps to counter the uneasiness among our allies.

“The Trump administration will continue to use all available tools to fulfill America’s long-standing commitment to Israel’s security, including means to counter security threats,” Rubio affirmed. At last, Israel has an American president who actually wants to see them win their war.