Sen. Shaheen halts $2.8 billion arms sale to Israel — Anadolu Agency
In the United States, Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the leading Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has suspended the process of selling Israel a $2.8 billion arms package. This was reported by Anadolu Agency, citing The Hill.
Package with 40,000 bombs
The proposed supply package includes, among other things, 40,000 one-ton bombs. The Joe Biden administration had previously withheld similar munitions over concerns about their use in Gaza and the resulting civilian casualties.
Shaheen expressed dissatisfaction that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had not addressed Democrats' concerns over civilian deaths in Gaza, Israeli strikes in Syria, and increased violence against Palestinians in the West Bank by extremist Israeli settlers.
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Congressional position
As the committee's leading Democrat, Shaheen can halt major arms sales while the US State Department addresses lawmakers' concerns. According to Semafor, she imposed such a suspension back in July.
Her colleague in the House of Representatives, Gregory Meeks, also said on Wednesday that he had halted the sale. He cited doubts over whether Netanyahu's government would use US-supplied weapons in accordance with international humanitarian law and US legislation.
In a comment to CNN, Shaheen said lawmakers were concerned about Israel's actions in Gaza, the bombing in Syria, and their impact on prospects for a peaceful settlement in the Middle East. According to Palestinian health authorities, about 70,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war between Israel and Hamas since October 2023, though these figures do not distinguish between civilians and militants.
