The Reagan administration officially notified Congress Monday that it intends to sell 75 F-16 fighter planes to Israel worth $2 billion.
The sale, which is intended to offset Israel’s cancellation last year of the Lavi fighter project, would automatically go through May 4, unless Congress voted to block it.
Apparently there is little opposition. Gerald Burkot, press secretary to Rep. Nick Joe Rahall II (D-W.V.), a strong supporter of Palestinian causes, said Rahall has no plans to oppose the sale.
The Washington Times reported Tuesday that the Pentagon also informed Congress Monday that it plans to sell Egypt 7,511 anti-tank missiles, with 108 launchers, and two Blackhawk helicopters, worth $212 million; and the United Arab Emirates $168 million worth of modification kits for five Hawk air-defense missile batteries.
In another development, the United States and Israel will sign a new Memorandum of Understanding on Israeli Independence Day, April 21, Capitol Hill sources confirmed.
One source, who termed the agreement “very modest,” said it simply upgrades three consultative bilateral groups to a permanent status.
Those three groups are the Joint Political-Military Group; Joint Economic Development Group; and Joint Strategy and Planning Group.
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