Three congressional Democrats want to block a major U.S. arms sale to Saudi Arabia that Israel reportedly backs.
Reps. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.), Shelley Berkley (D-Nev.) and Chris Carney (D-Pa.) circulated a letter Sept. 15 asking fellow lawmakers to sign on to legislation that would block the $60 billion sale, which has yet to be formally announced.
“Saudi Arabia has a history of financing terrorism, is a nation that teaches hate of Christians and Jews to their schoolchildren, and offered no help to the U.S. as gas prices surged during the spike in oil prices,” the letter said.
Saudi individuals — some close to the royal family — have financed terrorist groups, but the regime has not.
The letter added that “this deal would destabilize the region and undermine the security of Israel, our one true ally in the region.”
Also expressing reservations was Florida Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the senior Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Israel reportedly backs the sale, the most expensive arms deal ever, to be spread out over five to 10 years.
The deal includes 84 new F-15 fighter planes, and nearly 200 Apache, Black Hawk and Little Bird helicopters, as well as upgrades for 70 other fighter planes.
Israeli defense firms could make tens of millions of dollars on the Saudi arms sale by manufacturing certain key components of the Saudi F-15s. — jta