Top Democrat places hold on Trump administration’s plan to sell heavy bombs to Israel
Meeks said the 2,000-pound bombs could be used unlawfully and warned the administration has not given sufficient assurances for civilian protections.
- On Wednesday, Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York said he will block a proposed $2.8 billion arms sale to Israel, citing "grave, unresolved concerns" about 40,000 2,000-pound bombs' use in densely populated Gaza and Lebanon areas.
- The Biden administration previously paused 2,000-pound bomb transfers over mass casualty concerns; the sale follows Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks and ongoing Gaza conflict that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and decimated the enclave.
- Meeks stated the Trump administration has not provided sufficient assurances that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government will use weapons in accordance with U.S. law and appropriate civilian protections; the Trump administration approved $6.67 billion in arms sales to Israel in January.
- Meeks' objections will likely not halt the transaction, informally notified to lawmakers on Tuesday; the State Department did not respond to comment requests, and Rubio previously bypassed normal review to approve a nearly $3 billion sale last year.
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio can invoke emergency national security authority to bypass Congress once formally notified, a power he has used before, as the sale reflects the Trump administration's broader pattern strengthening Israel's military amid international isolation over Gaza.
48 Articles
48 Articles
Top democrats in the U.S. Congress want to stop the sale of these extremely destructive bombs to Israel. They have international concerns. But the deal is apparently already under control.
Why Israel insists on 2,000-pound bombs, how the wars of the last three years have changed its military doctrine, and why a weapon considered essential by the Israeli Air Force is causing growing opposition in the United States.
A Democratic representative has blocked the Trump administration's $2.8 billion bomb package for Israel, the Times of Israel reports.
Democratic Representative Gregory Meeks, the senior member of the US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, announced that he would not approve the Donald Trump administration's $2.8 billion arms sale to Israel, citing concerns that the weapons would not be used in accordance with international law.
The $2.8 billion package promoted by the White House envisaged the delivery of 2,000-pound projectiles to densely populated areas, in a context where shelling of the Palestinian enclave has left more than 73,000 dead.
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