Gregory Meeks, the senior Democratic member of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee, announced on Wednesday that he will not support the sale of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel due to concerns about potential misuse of the munitions in violation of international law.
An American official familiar with the deal stated that the Trump administration plans to sell munitions to Israel valued at $2.8 billion, including tens of thousands of highly destructive bombs, each weighing 2,000 pounds.
Congressional committee leaders review such sales in an informal process, but Meeks’ objection alone is insufficient to prevent the president from proceeding if an emergency is declared that necessitates immediate execution of the sale.
Trump has bypassed congressional review before to expedite military sales to Israel, reflecting his close ties with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu even before the two nations launched military actions against Iran on February 28.
Meeks, a representative from New York, stated in a release his commitment to Israel's security.
He added, "However, the proposed Trump administration deal to sell 40,000 bombs—some of the most destructive munitions in our arsenal—raises serious, unresolved concerns about their use in densely populated areas in Gaza and Lebanon."