Israel Receives US Bulldozers Held Up by Biden Administration Amid Gaza Genocide
Occupied Palestine (Quds News Network)- Dozens of Caterpillar D9 bulldozers and other equipment has arrived in Israel from the US after they were held up by the Biden administration over the Gaza genocide.
According to Israeli media reports, citing the Defense Ministry, the shipment for the Israeli army’s ground forces was received at Haifa Port, adding this is the largest exchange in Israel's history.
In November last year, the Biden administration froze the sale of the D9 bulldozers due to the Israeli military’s use of them to raze homes in Gaza.
Recent estimates show that about 70% of the structures in Gaza are either completely destroyed or severely damaged. Meanwhile a Haaretz report from this week looking into the outsourcing of bulldozer drivers found that they are paid per building: 2,500 shekels for the demolition of a small building, 5,000 shekels for a large building.
“The idea that the bulldozer has become a major article of genocide and warfare is quite new,” says Neve Gordon, a professor of international law and human rights at Queen Mary University of London. “What is happening in Gaza is not a building here or there being demolished; it’s the destruction of whole villages and towns.”
Since the start of the genocide on October 7, 2023, 870 transport planes and 144 ships have delivered more than 100,000 tons of armaments and military equipment to Israel, mostly from the US, according to the Defense Ministry.
The Biden administration has set a record by spending at least $17.9 billion on military aid to Israel in the year following the start of the assault on Gaza, according to a recent report by Brown University’s Costs of War project.
Trump has reversed several measures taken by the previous administration regarding Israel, including resuming the shipment of heavy payload weapons that had been frozen by Biden and lifting sanctions on Israeli settlers.
