US House votes to block arms deals to Saudi Arabia

SANAA, July 18 (YPA) – The US House of Representatives on Thursday voted in favor of three resolutions to ban the sale of weapons to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Nearly a month after the Senate passed 22 resolutions disapproving of Trump’s $8.1 billion arms sale plan despite congressional objections.

The House passed two of the resolutions with 238 votes, while a third was approved with 237 votes.

The three resolutions impede the sale of Raytheon-produced guided ammunition and related equipment to the Two States.

House aides said House Democratic leaders preferred to start these three resolutions before others because ammunition for targeted weapons could be delivered faster, as some lawmakers also suspect that this type of munition was used against civilians in Yemen.

Although the House of Representatives agreed to halt arms sales by a large majority, the resolution needed an additional 50 votes to get the two-thirds majority needed to override Trump’s veto.

Trump is seeking to conduct 22 separate deals with Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Jordan, including the maintenance of aircraft, ammunition, and more, at a time of heightened tension in the Middle East.

Opponents of such cooperation argue that these arms deals will fuel the devastating war in Yemen, which has caused the world’s worst humanitarian disaster.

Frustration swelled after Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and columnist for The Washington Post, was killed at the Saudi consulate in Turkey last year.

E.M