Congress OKs Israel F-15 sale as Biden takes heat on heavy bomb pause

The White House has convinced two key Democrats on Capitol Hill to lift their hold on a roughly $18 billion F-15 sale to Israel, even as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu adds to pressure on the Biden administration to release its own pause on a shipment of thousands of heavy bombs to the country.

Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York and Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland – the top Democrats on the foreign affairs panels in both chambers – confirmed Monday that they’ve lifted their months-long blockade of 50 Boeing-made F-15 fighter jets ; Raytheon-made Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles; and Boeing-made Joint Direct Attack Munitions kits, which convert so-called dumb bombs to precision-guided munitions.

Shortly thereafter, Netanyahu released a video in English attacking President Joe Biden for his April pause on delivery of some 3,500 air-to-ground munitions for Israel, including 500- and 2,000-pound bombs. He said he raised the issue during a recent meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

“It is inconceivable that in the past few months, the administration has been withholding weapons and ammunition to Israel,” Netanyahu said on Tuesday. :Israel, America’s closest ally fighting for its life, fighting against Iran and other common enemies. Secretary Blinken assured me the administration is working day and night to remove those bottlenecks.”

The Washington Post first reported Monday that Meeks and Cardin have released their holds on the hold on F-15s, which are not slated for delivery until the end of the decade, after pressure from the Biden administration and pro-Israel advocates. The Washington Post also reported that the Biden administration is considering releasing its own hold on the 3,500 heavy bombs for Israel, which were slated for immediate delivery.

“We continue to have constructive discussions with the Israelis for its release, but I don’t have any updates beyond that,” a National Security Council spokesperson told Defense News regarding the munitions hold.

Blinken said Tuesday that the U.S. continues to “review” the heavy bomb delivery but added “everything else is moving as it normally would move.”

Biden withheld the heavy bombs in May ahead of Israel’s Rafah offensive in the southern Gaza Strip, voicing concern that they would exacerbate civilian casualties in a conflict that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and brought the population to the brink of famine. The last president to publicly withhold weapons shipments to Israel was Ronald Reagan in 1982 after seeing pictures of civilians killed in Lebanon.

Meeks also cited civilian casualties, widespread starvation and restrictions on humanitarian aid in April as factors in his decision to hold the F-15 sale before reversing course.

“I have been in close touch with the White House and [National Security Council] about this and other arms cases for Israel and have repeatedly urged the administration to continue pushing Israel to make significant and concrete improvements on all fronts when it comes to humanitarian efforts and limiting civilian casualties,” Meeks said in a statement. “I continue to support the administration’s pause on certain munitions transfers due to concerns about ongoing civilian casualties in Gaza. The aircraft in question will not be delivered until years from now, and I remain supportive of Israel’s right to defend itself against the real threats posed by Iran and Hezbollah.”

Congressional pressure

Although Meeks lifted the F-15 hold a few weeks ago, the State Department has yet to formally notify Congress of the sale. Nor has it formally notified Congress of a separate $1 billion sale in tank ammunition and tactical vehicles. The notifications would trigger a formal congressional review period in which senators critical of Israel’s Gaza offensive could trigger floor votes seeking to block either sale.

Congress has also moved legislation seeking to undo Biden’s pause on the heavy bomb delivery and restrict the president’s ability to restrict future arms transfers to Israel.

A provision in the House’s fiscal 2025 defense spending bill would bar the Pentagon from using funds “to withhold, halt, reverse or cancel the delivery of defense articles or defense services” for Israel, and force the president to transfer withheld weapons to the Israeli military within 15 days.

The Appropriations Committee advanced the defense spending bill last week in a 34-25 party-line vote with the full House set to vote in the weeks ahead.

Some Democrats also joined Republicans in May to pass 224-187 a more stringent bill undoing Biden’s heavy bomb hold , but the Democratic-held Senate has refused to hold a floor vote amid a White House veto threat.

Congress invited Netanyahu to address a joint session on July 24. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., both signed off on the invitation alongside Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

Meanwhile, Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Cory Booker, D-N.Y., convened a private meeting Tuesday for senators with several CEOs – including major Republican donors – to urge Congress to continue arms sales for Israel, Punchbowl News reported . Palantir CEO Alex Karp and Booz Allen Hamilton CEO Horacio Rozanski were reportedly set to attend the meeting alongside several finance and tech CEOs.

Bryant Harris is the Congress reporter for Defense News. He has covered U.S. foreign policy, national security, international affairs and politics in Washington since 2014. He has also written for Foreign Policy, Al-Monitor, Al Jazeera English and IPS News.

白宫已说服国会山的两位关键民主党人解除对向以色列出售价值约 180 亿美元的 F-15 战斗机的禁令，与此同时，以色列总理内塔尼亚胡也加大了对拜登政府的压力，要求其解除暂停向以色列运送数千枚重型炸弹的禁令。

纽约州众议员格雷戈里·米克斯和马里兰州参议员本·卡丁——两院外交事务委员会的民主党领袖——周一证实，他们已经解除了长达数月的封锁，封锁对象包括波音公司制造的50架F-15战斗机；雷神公司制造的先进中程空对空导弹；以及波音公司制造的联合直接攻击弹药套件，该套件可以将所谓的“哑弹”改装成精确制导武器。

此后不久，内塔尼亚胡发布了一段英文视频，抨击美国总统乔·拜登在4月份暂停向以色列交付约3500枚空对地弹药，其中包括500磅和2000磅炸弹。他表示，在最近与国务卿安东尼·布林肯的一次会晤中，他提出了这个问题。

内塔尼亚胡周二表示：“令人难以置信的是，在过去的几个月里，美国政府竟然扣留了对以色列的武器弹药。以色列是美国最亲密的盟友，正在为生存而战，与伊朗和其他共同敌人作战。布林肯部长向我保证，政府正在日夜不停地努力消除这些障碍。”

《华盛顿邮报》周一率先报道称，在拜登政府和亲以色列人士的压力下，米克斯和卡丁已解除对F-15战机的扣押，这些战机原计划在本十年末交付。《华盛顿邮报》还报道称，拜登政府正在考虑解除对原计划立即交付给以色列的3500枚重型炸弹的扣押。

“我们继续与以色列方面就释放这批弹药进行建设性讨论，但除此之外，我没有任何其他最新消息，”国家安全委员会发言人就扣押弹药一事告诉《防务新闻》。

布林肯周二表示，美国仍在“审查”重型炸弹的投放，但他补充说，“其他一切都在按正常程序进行”。

拜登在5月以色列对加沙地带南部拉法发动攻势前，曾暂停向以色列提供重型炸弹，他担心这些炸弹会加剧冲突中的平民伤亡。这场冲突已造成数万巴勒斯坦人丧生，并将巴勒斯坦民众推向饥荒边缘。上一次有总统公开停止向以色列运送武器是1982年，当时罗纳德·里根在看到黎巴嫩平民伤亡的照片后做出了这一决定。

米克斯还提到，4 月份平民伤亡、大范围饥荒和人道主义援助限制也是他决定暂停 F-15 出售的因素，之后他又改变了主意。

米克斯在一份声明中表示：“我一直就此事以及其他涉及以色列的武器问题与白宫和国家安全委员会保持密切联系，并多次敦促政府继续敦促以色列在人道主义援助和减少平民伤亡等各个方面做出切实有效的改进。鉴于加沙地带持续不断的平民伤亡，我仍然支持政府暂停某些弹药转让的决定。相关飞机要到几年后才会交付，我仍然支持以色列有权自卫，抵御伊朗和真主党构成的真正威胁。”

国会压力

尽管米克斯几周前解除了对F-15战斗机的冻结，但国务院尚未正式通知国会这笔军售。同样，国务院也尚未正式通知国会另一项价值10亿美元的坦克弹药和战术车辆军售。如果正式通知国会，这将启动国会的正式审查程序，届时，批评以色列加沙攻势的参议员可能会发起投票，试图阻止这两项军售。

国会也已提出立法，试图推翻拜登暂停向以色列交付重型炸弹的决定，并限制总统限制未来向以色列转让武器的能力。

众议院 2025 财年国防开支法案中的一项条款将禁止五角大楼使用资金“扣留、停止、撤销或取消向以色列交付国防物品或国防服务”，并强制总统在 15 天内将扣留的武器移交给以色列军方。

上周，拨款委员会以 34 比 25 的党派投票结果通过了国防开支法案，众议院全体议员将在未来几周内进行投票表决。

一些民主党人也于 5 月与共和党人一起以 224 比 187 的票数通过了一项更为严格的法案，推翻了拜登的重磅炸弹计划，但由于白宫的否决威胁，民主党控制的参议院拒绝进行全体投票。

国会邀请内塔尼亚胡于 7 月 24 日在联席会议上发表讲话。参议院多数党领袖查克·舒默（纽约州民主党籍）和众议院少数党领袖哈基姆·杰弗里斯（纽约州民主党籍）与众议院议长迈克·约翰逊（路易斯安那州共和党籍）和参议院少数党领袖米奇·麦康奈尔（肯塔基州共和党籍）一起签署了邀请函。

据Punchbowl News报道，与此同时，南卡罗来纳州共和党参议员林赛·格雷厄姆和纽约州民主党参议员科里·布克周二召集了一场参议员与几位首席执行官（包括共和党的主要捐款人）举行的闭门会议，敦促国会继续向以色列出售武器。据悉，Palantir首席执行官亚历克斯·卡普和博思艾伦咨询公司首席执行官霍拉西奥·罗赞斯基将与几位金融和科技公司的首席执行官一同出席此次会议。

布莱恩特·哈里斯是《防务新闻》的国会记者。自2014年以来，他一直在华盛顿报道美国外交政策、国家安全、国际事务和政治。他还曾为《外交政策》、《Al-Monitor》、《半岛电视台英语频道》和IPS新闻撰稿。