This week, the Trump Administration informed Congress that it planned a new $2.8 billion arms sale to Israel. While the precise breakdown and numbers are disputed, reports say that the sale includes tens of thousands of MK-84 and BLU 117 munitions, each with a payload of approximately 1 ton.
Yesterday, Congressman Gregory Meeks, the ranking member of the United States House Foreign Affairs Committee, announced a hold on the sale.
In his statement, Congressman Meeks encouragingly reiterated that he “remain(s) firmly committed to Israel’s security and its ability to defend itself against serious regional threats.”
However, that is where the encouraging elements of the statement end. The Congressman questions whether the “Netanyahu government” will use the weapons in accordance with U.S. law and ensure “appropriate protections for civilians.”
Using terminology like the “Netanyahu government” rather than “Israel” makes it sound as if there is a Netanyahu regime somehow disconnected from Israeli law and democratic norms. There are mixed feelings in the United States, and in particular the Democratic Party, about Prime Minister Netanyahu, as there are in many segments of Israeli society. That does not change the fact that Israel remains a democratic ally governed by the rule of law and with legally binding and robust safeguards ensuring the ethical use of munitions.
Unlike in the United States, the Prime Minister is not the Commander in Chief of the armed forces. The Defense Ministry provides civilian oversight with military legal review below it. IDF decides what weapons are necessary for the particular operational and strategic purpose, and there is a multi-layered democratic and legal chain that ensures strict compliance with the law.
Congress needs to look no further than American urban warfare expert John Spencer to learn that the protections Israel has taken for civilians go above and beyond what is required by the rules of engagement. Israel has, in fact, taken care beyond that taken by any other military in history.
That is to say, greater care than other recipients of American MK-84 and BLU 117 munitions such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Turkey, the Philippines, South Korea, Canada, Italy and Spain, among many others.
Congress has a duty to review arms sales like this one, and serious munitions should be kept out of the hands of irresponsible militaries or dictatorial regimes who may abuse the power sold to them or undermine the security interests of the United States.
Israel has proven, repeatedly, that it represents the exact opposite of those concerns. It is unquestionably a top-tier U.S. ally, unquestionably a robust democracy with legal review of all military actions, and it has unquestionably taken greater care to protect innocent civilian life than any country in history forced to fight in dense urban areas against enemies who purposefully put civilians in harm’s way.
There may be a case to be made not to sell these munitions to Israel, but the case made by Congressman Meeks is, in no uncertain terms, not it.
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© Divuach Ne’eman R”A, 2025
