US lawmaker urges Trump administration to halt arms transfers to Israel
Israeli army soldiers walk past an armoured vehicle during an Israeli military operation in Nablus in the occupied West Bank on April 8, 2025. (AFP Photo)
U.S. Representative Rashida Tlaib on Monday called on the Trump administration to halt all arms transfers to Israel, citing the fatal shooting of a 14-year-old American citizen by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank.
“Israeli soldiers opened fire on three American children yesterday, killing Omar Mohammad Rabea,” Tlaib wrote on X. “Our government’s responsibility is to protect its citizens. Instead, we’re arming their murderers. Arms embargo now.”
The teen, identified as Omar Mohammad Saade Rabea, was reportedly killed on Sunday near the town of Turmus Ayya.
According to Palestinian officials, two other minors were injured during the same incident, which occurred amid heightened Israeli military activity across the occupied territories.
Surge in Israeli violence across West Bank
Since Israel began its military campaign in Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023, violence has escalated across the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, at least 945 Palestinians have been killed, nearly 7,000 injured, and over 15,800 detained by Israeli forces or settlers during this period.
The incident involving Rabea has raised concerns in Washington, as calls mount for a reassessment of U.S. military assistance to Israel, particularly in cases involving American citizens.
Legal and humanitarian concerns grow
Last year, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories illegal and ordered the evacuation of settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Meanwhile, tensions remain high over Israel’s continued withholding of tax revenues belonging to the Palestinian Authority.
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has accused Israel of using financial measures as tools of “genocide and forced displacement,” citing the seizure of over 7 billion shekels ($1.89 billion) in tax income since 2019.
Broader fallout: Protests and repercussions
The political backlash in the U.S. is not limited to lawmakers.
Microsoft recently dismissed two employees, Vaniya Agrawal and Ibtihal Aboussad, after they protested the company’s involvement in military AI technologies reportedly used by Israel.
During a keynote speech by Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman, employee Ibtihal Aboussad interrupted the event, accusing the company of providing AI technology to Israel.
Her protest occurred in front of an audience that included co-founder Bill Gates and former CEO Steve Ballmer.
“We cannot be celebrating while people in Palestine are getting murdered thanks to Microsoft,” Aboussad said in a statement to local media.
“My biggest concern is knowing that our code is contributing to bombing, surveillance, and targeting of innocents.”
Agrawal had accused Microsoft of enabling mass casualties in Gaza, referencing an investigation published earlier this year by the Associated Press, which found that AI technologies developed by Microsoft and OpenAI were being used by the Israeli military to select bombing targets.
