Senate Leaders Impose Hold on $2.8 Billion U.S. Weapons Sale to Israel

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has placed a hold on a $2.8 billion arms package destined for Israel. The package, reported to contain 40,000 one-ton bombs and other munitions previously withheld by the former Biden administration, was slated for approval under the Trump administration. Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.), the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Democratic member, announced a parallel hold on the same sale, citing concerns that the weapons might be used in ways that violate international humanitarian law and U.S. statutes.

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Under Senate rules, the committee chair can block foreign-military sales that exceed a set dollar threshold, prompting the State Department to negotiate with the lawmaker before proceeding. Shaheen’s hold, first reported by Semafor and enacted in July, aligns with a broader Democratic push to scrutinize U.S. arms transfers amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. Lawmakers have highlighted civilian casualties in Gaza, Israeli airstrikes in Syria, and escalating settler violence in the West Bank as reasons for heightened oversight.

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Meeks echoed similar worries, stating that the sale must comply with both international humanitarian standards and U.S. law before any further steps are taken.

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• “Netanyahu needs to hear from America that we don’t like what he’s doing. We don’t like what’s happening in the West Bank where settler violence is killing Palestinians, sending them out of their homes, disrupting basic infrastructure. And the Netanyahu administration has basically done nothing to address that,” — Sen. Jeanne Shaheen

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• Estimated 70,000 Palestinians have been killed during the three-year war between Israel and Hamas, according to Palestinian health officials.

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• The contested weapons package totals $2.8 billion and includes 40,000 one-ton bombs.

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