Skip to content
June 25, 2022
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Reddit
  • Telegram
  • TikTok
  • LinkedIn
Orinoco Tribune – News and opinion pieces about Venezuela and beyond

Orinoco Tribune – News and opinion pieces about Venezuela and beyond

From Venezuela and made by Venezuelan Chavistas

Primary Menu
  • News
  • Opinion
  • About us
    • About us
    • Who we are – Becoming a Volunteer
    • Editorial guidelines for contributors
    • Our Sources
      • Venezuelan Sources
      • International Sources
    • Contact us
  • Categories
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Security and Defense
    • International
      • Africa
      • Asia
      • Europe
      • Oceania
      • US/Canada
    • Latin America and ALBA-TCP
      • South America
      • Central America and the Caribbean (+Mexico)
    • Ideology-Commune-Labor
    • Health-Education-Sport-Culture-Technology
    • Solidarity and Social Movements
    • OT Originals
  • Support Us
    • Tax Deductible Donations: AfGJ Fiscal Sponsorship Program
    • Patreon (recurrent donations)
    • PayPal and Credit Cards
Light/Dark Button
YouTube Channel
  • Home
  • News
  • House Bill Aims to Give Israel Veto Power Over US Arms Sales to Middle East
  • International
  • News
  • US/Canada

House Bill Aims to Give Israel Veto Power Over US Arms Sales to Middle East

October 7, 2020

By MEE Staff  – Oct 6, 2020

Washington, D.C. (MEE) – A bipartisan group of US lawmakers are seeking to give Israel authority over American arms sales to the Middle East.

A bill introduced in the House of Representatives last week by Brad Schneider, a Democrat, aims to guarantee Israel’s qualitative military edge in the Middle East. The issue has been highlighted in recent months, as the Trump administration has vowed to move forward with a sale of F-35 jets to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) despite Israel’s objections.

The bill “would require the President to consult with the Israeli government to ensure [qualitative military edge] concerns are settled”, a statement released by Schneider’s office said on Friday

The United States already has legislation on the books that guarantees Israel’s edge in the Middle East, but Congress has the authority to make the distinction, not Israel, as this recently introduced legislation would require.

RELATED CONTENT: Incoming Ambassador to UK Called for “Expanding” Israel’s Borders

Specifically, the bill states that the US President would need to “consult with appropriate officials of the Government of Israel for information regarding Israel’s qualitative military edge before making a determination” on Middle East weapons sales.

Most of the bill’s co-sponsors are Democrats, including Middle East Subcommittee Chairman Ted Deutch; Brad Sherman; Debbie Wasserman Schultz; Josh Gottheimer; Ami Bera; Ted Lieu; Stephanie Murphy; David Trone; Jimmy Panetta; Tom Suozzi; Elaine Luria; Max Rose; Gil Cisneros; and Xochitl Torres Small.

Republican lawmakers Brian Fitzpatrick, John Katko, and Tom Reed also co-sponsored the bill.

“The United States is committed to ensuring Israel’s security, and Congress will continue to uphold our commitments in US law to ensure Israel’s qualitative military edge. As well, the recently established ties between Israel and Arab partners create new opportunities that can contribute to the security and stability in the region,” said Congressman Deutch in Friday’s statement.

“As these developments take shape, Congress will exercise all appropriate authority and oversight over any future security arrangements.”

While not the only arms sale of concern, in September US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman said that even if the US-UAE F-35 deal is finalized in the coming months, it may be another six to seven years before deliveries are made. He also pointed out that ensuring Israel’s military advantage in the region was a “matter of law, not a matter of policy”.

RELATED CONTENT: No Longer Leader of the Free World: Trump Admin Humiliated at UN Over Iran Arms Embargo

For his part, Congressman Fitzpatrick highlighted the recent normalization deal between the UAE, Bahrain, and Israel as “a historic step towards a lasting peace in the Middle East”, but stressed the need for Israel to retain its advantage in the region.

“Despite the incredible steps towards peace that have been made, there are still plenty of entities that wish to harm Israel. This is why it is so important that we support Israel and help to preserve its Qualitative Military Edge (QME), to ensure the safety of the Israeli people and maintain stability in the region,” Fitzpatrick was quoting as saying in Friday’s statement, echoing language used in the bill.

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a prominent Israel lobby in the US, supports the new measure, according to Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

This post was originally written for and published by Middle East Eye and appears here with permission.

Image: Flickr – IDF

 

(Geopolitics Alert)

Want More?

Don't want to be a victim of the Algorithm?

SIGN UP TO RECEIVE OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER WITH ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT VENEZUELA

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

orinocotribune
Website | + posts
  • orinocotribune
    https://orinocotribune.com/author/orinocotribune/
    International sabotage attempt against Plan Vuelta a Patria denounced
  • orinocotribune
    https://orinocotribune.com/author/orinocotribune/
    AlĂ­ RodrĂ­guez Araque dies
  • orinocotribune
    https://orinocotribune.com/author/orinocotribune/
    López Obrador defends Nicolás Maduro during interview
  • orinocotribune
    https://orinocotribune.com/author/orinocotribune/
    The black market Dollar misfortune of the Venezuelan economy
Tags: American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) arms Brad Schneider Israel Middle East Trump administration United Arab Emirates (UAE) US Imperialism Veto Power

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)

Continue Reading

Previous Previous post:

President Macron’s Bad Play in Lebanon

Next Next post:

UN Human Rights Council Approved Two Resolutions on Venezuela: One Promoted by Lima Group (aka US)

Tax deductible donations

One time donations

Recurrent donations

Calendar

June 2022
M T W T F S S
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
27282930  
« May    

NEWS: Most Viewed 72 Hours

Categories

Subscribe to Our Weekly Newsletter

We keep your data private and share your data only with third parties that make this service possible. Read our Privacy Policy.

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

OPINION: Most Viewed 72 hours

We are on Telegram


Receive our news directly in your cellphone or PC, join us on our TELEGRAM channel: https://t.me/OrinocoTribune1

Download TELEGRAM, click the link above and then press the JOIN button.

We are Copyleft not Copyright


Creative Commons License
All Orinoco Tribune's work is free to use and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

We are on Reddit


If you are more into REDDIT, join our Orinoco Tribune Community.
Just click below and then click JOIN
https://www.reddit.com/r/OrinocoTribune/

 

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Reddit
  • Telegram
  • TikTok
  • LinkedIn
Copyleft, No rights reserved.