The weapons sale includes some 50 F-15 fighter jets, along with Joint Direct Attack Munitions that convert dumb bombs to precision guided-ones and air-to-air missiles.
It is one of the largest weapons packages for Israel, but the arms won’t be arriving for around five years.
Both Meeks and Cardin had held up the sale process since the Biden administration first notified them at the end of January, but they have now approved the package.
Meeks had publicly expressed concern about how Israel was carrying out the war in Gaza against Palestinian militant group Hamas, citing the “indiscriminate bombing.”
“I think it’s enough,” Meeks told CNN in April. “It’s enough for what’s been taking place in Gaza.”
More than 37,000 people have died in the territory and a humanitarian crisis is growing worse. Israel is fighting against Hamas in retaliation for an Oct. 7 attack that killed some 1,200 people, with another 250 taken hostage. Around 120 hostages are still expected to be in Gaza.
Meeks said he was in “close touch” with the Biden administration about the arms package, including concerns about the war, and that he has an understanding the package wouldn’t be delivered for years.
A spokesperson for Cardin told The Hill that “any issues or concerns” about the weapons were addressed with the Biden administration.
The president must notify Congress of major arms sales. The top foreign affairs members from both parties can block any transfer by not signing their approval.
The weapons sale now goes to Congress for full approval. Lawmakers can technically pass a joint resolution to block the transfer, but most of Congress remains supportive of Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also criticized the U.S. arms transfers policy in a video on X, claiming he spoke to Secretary of State Antony Blinken about the “inconceivable” hold on weapons.
“Give us the tools and we’ll finish the job a lot faster,” he added.
President Biden has held back high payload bombs to Israel over concerns about their use in Gaza, but it’s not clear if any other weapons are on hold.
Blinken told reporters that the security relationship between Israel and the U.S. remains strong.
“We are continuing to review one shipment that President Biden has talked about,” he said. “But everything else is moving as it normally would move.”
Read the full report at TheHill.com.
