Ilhan Omar to Introduce Bill to Block Weapons Transfer to Israel

The bill will target a $320 million sale for precision-guided bomb kits

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) is expected this week to introduce a bill to block an arms transfer to Israel, which will mark the first piece of legislation aimed at reining in President Biden’s strong support of Israel’s brutal war on Gaza.

The bill will target a planned $320 million transfer of Spice Family Gliding Bomb Assemblies, kits that turn unguided bombs into precision-guided munitions. The Biden administration notified congressional leaders on October 31 that it intended to go through with the transfer amid Israel’s onslaught on Gaza.

Omar’s plans were first reported by HuffPost, which said the bill will likely be introduced by Wednesday. A source told HuffPost that the legislation will likely be co-sponsored by a group of Democrats.

The bill will be a “resolution of disapproval” that would block the transfer if approved by both the House and the Senate, but it’s not expected to pass due to strong bipartisan support for Israel’s war. The legislation also needs to make it through the Republican-led House Foreign Affairs Committee before being brought to the floor of the House for a vote.

According to CNN, the $320 million transfer of the bomb kits, known as Spice Family Gliding Bomb Assemblies, is part of an arms sale that was previously approved. It’s unclear if the kits were purchased by Israel using military aid that the US provides each year.

Israel receives $3.8 billion from the US in military aid annually, including $3.3 billion in the form of Foreign Military Financing, a State Department program that gives foreign governments money to buy US arms. The Biden administration is looking for another $14 billion in spending to support the Israeli onslaught on Gaza.

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.