Thread by @theIMEU

THREAD: 6 Things to Know About the Iron Dome Funding Controversy

The efforts of progressives in Congress to stop Democratic and Republican leaders from giving another $1 billion in military funding to Israel have triggered an avalanche of misinformation and misdirection.

1) No Blank Check: Israel already receives $3.8 billion in U.S. military funding every year (more than any other country on the planet), and Israel’s “Iron Dome” is already funded to the tune of $1.7 billion.

Progressives are saying NO to a major increase of $1 billion in the already unjustifiable military funding to Israel.

2) Aggression ≠ Defense: Many claim funding Israel’s Iron Dome program is purely defensive. But Israel is not only an apartheid state, it's also a belligerent foreign occupier, actively involved in ethnic cleansing and war crimes in lands

the entire world agrees don't belong to it. Even "defensive" military assistance to an active aggressor is complicity in their aggression.

3) Palestinians Deserve Safety: The entire conversation on this funding centers the safety of Israelis at a time when Palestinians are the primary victims of Israeli war crimes and state terrorism. The fact that there is no discussion of Palestinians’ need for security

from the U.S.-made weapons Israel uses against them is an outrageous double-standard and a serious moral failing among our congressional leaders and the administration.

4) The Will of the People: A majority of Democrats (64%) support reducing U.S. military funding to Israel because of Israel’s human rights violations. And yet, the Democratic leadership continues to be out of step with the people,

trying to increase military funding when their base opposes it.

5) Israel Can Buy Its Own Weapons: Israel is a rich country that affords its citizens universal healthcare (which we don’t have in our own country) and has a GDP of nearly $400 billion. If Israel wants weapons systems that make it immune from the consequences of the violence it

creates, it can buy them instead of asking U.S. taxpayers to pay for them.

6) Fund Real Needs at Home: Whenever we talk about funding critical American needs like healthcare, housing, and education, we’re constantly told that there isn’t enough money for it. Then why is there an extra $1 billion to arbitrarily add to the military funding of a foreign

apartheid regime? It’s time to get our priorities right and fund our real needs at home.

Learn more about the Iron Dome by reading our explainer here: imeu.org/article/explai…