Israeli officials told Haaretz that they expect Congress to approve an extra $1 billion in US military aid for Israel even though it was removed from a stopgap funding bill in the House on Tuesday.
The stopgap funding bill was pushed through to avert a government shutdown. The $1 billion was removed due to pressure from progressive Democrats. Because no Republicans were expected to vote for the legislation, Democratic leadership needed support from the progressives.
An unnamed Israeli official told Haaretz that the situation was nothing to be concerned about since only a few lawmakers oppose the aid. “This incident wasn’t connected to Israel at all. In a situation in which the American administration needs every vote in the House of Representatives to pass the budget proposal, a single-digit number of legislators seized on this political situation to exert pressure through it. Does that mean we won’t get the money? Quite the contrary,” the official said.
After the House stripped the aid from the bill, US lawmakers were quick to assure Israel that it would get the money. Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD) said he would bring a vote on the $1 billion to the floor of the House as early as this week, and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) introduced a bill on Wednesday that would give Israel the funds. In the Senate, some Democrats are considering painting the $1 billion with aid for the Palestinians.
The $1 billion in aid would be on top of the $3.8 billion the US already gives Israel each year. Israel requested the additional amount in June, after its bombardment in Gaza in May, which killed over 250 Palestinians, including over 60 children. The Israelis say they need the money to replenish the Iron Dome missile defense system. But when the request was first reported, Israeli officials said they also need the money to purchase munitions, including precision-guided munitions for the air force.
Yeah they are probably right
When I first read the headline I thought it meant that they could survive without it. My bad. Just meant the arrogant fu*kers know they own congress and that $1 billion is as good as on its way.
Don’t pay anymore federal taxes. Then use the money to buy as much Ben & Jerry’s ice cream as possible i
Yeh, don’t this beat all. With seeming very little effort they’re able to force the Congress to reimburse them for their latest atrocity. They’ve really got’m by the gonads… ??? …does the name Jeffrey Epstein come to mind.
“An unnamed Israeli official told Haaretz that the situation was nothing to be concerned about since only a few lawmakers oppose the aid.”
That could be someone from Israel or one of our senators. It’s anyone’s guess.
“replenish the Iron Dome missile defense system.”
This is how the story is always spun on FOX news and other outlets, as if we are shipping over containers filled with anti-missile munitions. We are shipping over containers of money so that they can pay their own defense contractors to make new ones. If they don’t get the money, they would still get the missiles but just have to pay for it themselves.
The always make it sound like a life or death issue when this amounts to a stimulus package.
I don’t have any numbers off hand but I have always thought the financial military aid was used to buy from the AMERICAN military-industrial complex. I wonder what the hard numbers are of those two cash flows.
Israel buys stuff from the U.S. but Iron Dome is proprietary Israeli technology from Rafael. They manufacture all of their own missiles for that system.
Israel is a major arms exporter, they export the stuff they make, even Republicans might get embarrassed if they re-sold American equipment. They sell drones and missiles that the make to countries like Azerbaijan. I’m certain the sell other stuff too, but that’s what I’ve read about.