US lawmaker becomes cosponsor of Block the Bombs Act

US Rep. Bill Foster announced Monday that he has become an official cosponsor of the "Block the Bombs Act," a bill that seeks to place restrictions on US arms transfers to Israel.

Foster said he had previously backed the Ceasefire Compliance Act, which would have conditioned offensive weapons transfers on changes in Israeli policies in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.

"I initially supported the Ceasefire Compliance Act, which would have withheld offensive weapons from the Israeli government if it refused to change course in the West Bank and Gaza," Foster said through US social media company X.

"Netanyahu refused. With that in mind, I believe that unconditional restrictions on our arms transfers, like those included in the Block the Bombs Act, are now necessary."

Foster, an Illinois Democrat, argued that US military assistance to Israel should be subject to conditions and called for a shift in US policy toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"The United States simply cannot continue sending unconditional military aid to the Israeli government," Foster said.

"We must work toward a two-state solution that ensures peace, security, and self-determination for both Israelis and Palestinians," he added.

Last year, Rep. Delia Ramirez introduced the bill which aims to prohibit the president from selling, transferring, or exporting certain defense articles or services to Israel, except in specified circumstances.

The US has long been criticized for providing support to Israel in its war in Gaza, where more than 73,000 people, mostly women and children, have been killed since Oct. 7, 2023.