Palestinian Americans Lobby Against $2.8bn Israel Deal — SkimNews
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- Americans for Justice in Palestine Action organized a Capitol lobbying day in which more than 300 constituents from 26 states met with offices of 100+ lawmakers to press on Gaza, West Bank settler violence, and immigration-based suppression of Palestinian advocacy.
- The Trump administration approved a $2.8bn military package to Israel including 20,000 MK-84 (2,000-pound) bombs and 20,000 BLU-117s, munitions the source links to widespread civilian devastation in Gaza where nearly 74,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 7, 2023 — including nearly 1,400 since an October 2025 ceasefire.
- Ranking member Gregory Meeks of the House Foreign Affairs Committee used his procedural leverage to slow congressional clearance of the transfer, while several Democrats have vowed to block it outright.
- Senate Democrats posted an unprecedented show of dissent in July of last year when 26 senators voted to block Israel arms transfers, then in April backed a record 40 senators supporting similar resolutions that nonetheless fell short in the 100-member chamber.
- The Block the Bombs Act in the House, a resolution for a partial arms embargo, has accumulated 81 co-sponsors as of August; 22 Democratic senators separately introduced a resolution last week to force a State Department investigation into Israeli settler violence that has killed at least nine US citizens.
- A December IMEU Policy Project poll found a majority of Republicans under 45 would prefer a 2028 presidential candidate who supports reducing US weapons to Israel — a shift AJP Action's Osama Abu Irshaid called "the dam within the Republican Party cracking," contingent on what comes after Trump.
- Salah Sarsour and Leqaa Kordia, both still facing deportation after ICE detention, told the gathering that the "same dehumanisation logic" driving their treatment is the same one that funds Israeli military detention of Palestinians.
Why it matters: The $2.8bn package — including 20,000 MK-84 bombs — faces Meeks-led procedural slowing and a record 40-senator prior vote against prior transfers, but only Democratic votes so far. The polling crack the article highlights: a majority of Republicans under 45 already back a 2028 candidate who'd reduce weapons to Israel, which Abu Irshaid says is the dam starting to crack inside the GOP.
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