US Senator Opposes $2.8 Billion Arms Deal to Israel

The report stated that Shaheen and several Democratic lawmakers feel "disappointed" that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not taken steps to alleviate their concerns, particularly regarding attacks that have caused significant civilian casualties in Gaza, the bombing of Syria, and the escalation of Israeli settler terrorism in the occupied West Bank.

The report noted that the deal includes 40,000 one-ton bombs.

It pointed out that this would contribute to the high death toll in the Gaza Strip, and that the administration of former US President Joe Biden had previously blocked the shipment of these weapons to Israel.

As the senior Democratic member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Shaheen has the authority under US law to prevent the administration of US President Donald Trump from proceeding with arms sales exceeding a certain financial limit.

On the other hand, Gregory Meeks, a Democratic member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee (the first chamber of Congress), announced last Wednesday that he had decided to suspend the planned military sales to Israel, based on the same political custom that grants him this authority, according to the same source.

Meeks expressed concern about the extent to which Netanyahu's government would commit to using the weapons provided by the United States "in accordance with international humanitarian law and US laws".

Since October 8, 2023, Israel has killed nearly 74,000 Palestinians, injured about 175,000, and destroyed an estimated 90 percent of the infrastructure in the Gaza Strip.

In mid-September, the "Washington Post" reported that the US administration is preparing to sell a shipment of one-ton bombs to Israel, which are used in the Gaza Strip, with a total value of up to $2.8 billion.

It is noteworthy that in 2025, the Trump administration approved the sale of $2.04 billion worth of arms to Israel by directly bypassing congressional review, which sparked controversy between Democrats and Republicans.

These arms deals come amid the genocidal war imposed by Israel on the Gaza Strip for about three years, and its use of all types of weapons in this war, including those prohibited internationally such as white phosphorus.

Due to Israel's systematic displacement and starvation operations, the genocidal war has claimed the lives of nearly 74,000 Palestinians and destroyed an estimated 90 percent of the infrastructure in the Gaza Strip since October 8, 2023.