The rifle sale is a small transaction next to the billions of dollars worth of weapons that Washington supplies to Israel. But it drew attention when the Biden administration delayed the sale over concerns that the weapons could end up in the hands of Israeli settlers, some of whom have attacked Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

The Biden administration had imposed sanctions on individuals and entities accused of committing violence in the West Bank, which has seen a rise in settler attacks on Palestinians.

On his first day in office on January 20, Trump issued an executive order rescinding the sanctions on the settlers in a reversal of U.S. policy. Since then, his administration has approved the sale of billions of dollars worth of weapons to Israel.

The March 6 congressional notification said the U.S. government had taken into account "political, military, economic, human rights, and arms control considerations."