The top US Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee says he is not yet ready to sign off on the sale of dozens of American-made F-15 fighter jets and related munitions to Israel as he seeks “assurances” on how the weapons would be used.
Rep. Gregory Meeks, a Democrat from New York, told CNN on Tuesday he would seek answers on the proposed sale during classified briefings in Washington, DC, this week. As one of the leading lawmakers on a key weapons-approving committee, Meeks holds an effective veto on any proposed weapons sales, making his comments to CNN notable.
“I want to make sure I know the types of weapons and what the weapons would be utilized for,” he told CNN's Kate Bolduan on "CNN News Center." He didn’t answer directly when asked if he would support efforts to block the sale.
“I don't want the kinds of weapons that Israel has to be utilized to have more deaths,” he said. “I want to make sure that humanitarian aid gets in. I don't want people starving to death, and I want Hamas to release the hostages. And I want a two-state solution," he told CN.
Key context: Since Hamas’ attack on Israel in October, which killed over 1,200 Israelis, the US has made more than 100 foreign military sales to Israel. Most of those have fallen under the specific dollar amount that requires a notification to Congress, an official familiar with the matter previously told CNN.
But an $18 billion F-15 sale is large enough that it requires congressional notification, and the administration informally notified the House Foreign Affairs and Senate Foreign Relations committees of the F-15 sale in late January, according to people familiar with the matter.