Email from Zionist Organization of America   ZIONIST ORGANIZATION OF AMERICA IN THE MEDIA     ZOA Quoted: Rep. Raskin (D-MD) Joins Growing Number of Democrats Trying to Restrict Arms Sales to Israel, Endangering Jewish Lives During Its War Against Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran ─ Washington Jewish Week   Jamie Raskin (D-MD) (Photo credit: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images) “We are absolutely horrified by [Raskin’s] decision to endanger Israel and Jewish lives and extend the war by limiting the arms that will be coming to Israel,” ZOA National President Morton Klein told Washington Jewish Week. “Israel needs all the arms it can get to finally destroy Hamas. Only then, can the war in Gaza end.” By Zoe Bell (August 26, 2025 / Washington Jewish Week) Many Jewish Marylanders expressed disappointment with Rep. Jamie Raskin’s recent decision to back a bill that would restrict United States arms transfers to Israel, while some believe it’s a step in the right direction amid the ongoing war in Gaza. Raskin, a Jewish Democratic member of Congress who represents Maryland’s 8th Congressional District, joined a growing list of Democrats backing the Block the Bombs Act amid a decline in Democratic support for Israel. The bill states that the sale or transfer to Israel of certain weapons, including 120mm tank ammunition, 155mm artillery ammunition and BLU–109 bunker-busting bombs, would require congressional authorization and written assurances as to how those weapons will be used. The bill currently has 37 co-sponsors, including Rep. Donald Beyer (D-Va.), who serves Virginia’s 8th Congressional District. Support for the Block the Bombs Act among House Democrats follows record support from Senate Democrats for two resolutions blocking U.S. military sales to Israel in July, which failed in the Senate. Ron Halber, the CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington, called Raskin’s decision to cosponsor the bill “extremely disappointing” but said the lawmaker was in a “tough spot” dealing with a complex issue. “The first thing I think is important to note is that Rep. Raskin is a very proud member of the Jewish community and has worked with [the JCRC] on both domestic issues and Israel issues for many years,” Halber told Washington Jewish Week. “He has a long history of being supportive of Israel and being a friend to Israel … But since the war, I think [Raskin] has been caught by two instincts: One is his longtime progressive support for Israel, which includes its defensive needs, and his desire to see the war come to an end. And I think that’s a very tough spot to be in.” (...) Others from national Jewish organizations echoed that sentiment, including Morton Klein, the national president of the Zionist Organization of America. “Throughout the country, as well as our friends in Maryland, [we] are absolutely horrified by [Raskin’s] decision to endanger Israel and Jewish lives and extend the war by limiting the arms that will be coming to Israel,” Klein told Washington Jewish Week. “It’s almost unanimous among the people that I talk to.”  He said Israel needs “all the arms it can get to try and finally destroy Hamas.” Only then, Klein said, can the war in Gaza end. Continue Reading   Share This Email Share This Email Share This Email   DONATE   www.zoa.org   Copyright © Zionist Organization of America 2025. All rights reserved. Zionist Organization of America | 633 Third Ave 31 B | New York, NY 10017 US Unsubscribe | Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice