Key US House Democrat refuses to clear $2.8 billion bomb sale to Israel

US Rep. Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, is obstructing a Trump administration proposal for a $2.8 billion bomb sale to Israel.

Meeks says he will not clear the transaction due to concerns that these 2,000-pound munitions will not be used in accordance with US and international law.

Despite his concerns, Meeks says in a statement that he remains “firmly committed to Israel’s security and its ability to defend itself against serious regional threats.”

The 15-term congressman, known for his pragmatic and moderate stances, voices concern about the potential sale of 40,000 of these bombs, which he describes as “some of the most destructive munitions in our arsenal.”

The proposal, he adds, raised questions “about how these munitions could be used in densely populated areas of Gaza and Lebanon.”

Israel has said its use of American munitions is always in compliance with US and other relevant laws.

If Democrats are able to retake the House majority in November, Meeks would then become the chairman of the committee in January.

While individual congressional committee members do not have unilateral power to prevent an arms sale, they are able to place a “hold” on a transaction in order to acquire more information.

“The Trump administration has not provided sufficient assurances that these weapons will be used by the Netanyahu government in accordance with US law and with appropriate protections for civilians,” Meeks says.

This decision, he explained, does not weaken Congressional backing “for Israel’s legitimate defense needs.”

“It reflects Congress’s responsibility to ensure that US-funded weapons are used lawfully, responsibly, and with meaningful safeguards for human life,” Meeks adds.

More than two years ago, in April 2024, Meeks announced that he would block the sale of F-15 fighter jets to Israel if he did not receive “assurances” as to the intended purposes of these jets.

At the time, he told CNN that he had “enough of the indiscriminate bombing” and wanted to prevent Israel from utilizing weapons to create more deaths.

Meeks has longstanding ties to the pro-Israel community. In 2020, when he was one of three Democrats on the committee seeking its chairmanship, he met with pro-Israel groups to get what was then their critical endorsement.

But more recently, Meeks has criticized the country’s leadership.

In February, Meeks slammed the decisions of Netanyahu and his security cabinet to expand Israel’s control over the West Bank.

“These actions deliberately and potentially irreversibly erode the possibility of a negotiated two-state solution,” he said.