Given the human rights violations in Gaza, Sheikh Jarrah, and ever-growing settlement expansion, we should not be ramming through a last-minute $1 billion increase in military funding for Israel without any accountability.
As my colleague, @BettyMcCollum04 has pointed out, this language was added without the knowledge or consent of relevant committee chairs or proper budgeting.
This vote is not about simply funding the Iron Dome. It’s about adding an extra billion dollars on top of the $73 million we already allocated this year. That’s 14 times more than we normally spend on it and 60% of what we’ve provided for it over the course of a decade.
Those advocating for this have not made the case for why this enormous increase is necessary and why the U.S. taxpayers have to fund it.
To be clear, any loss of life—whether Israeli or Palestinian—is an unspeakable tragedy. We should be doing everything in our power to end the violence and bring about peace.
But this does nothing to actually bring us closer to peace.
But this does nothing to actually bring us closer to peace.
We continue to pay lip service to human rights, peace and a two state solution. Yet we also continue to provide Israel with funding without addressing the underlying issue of the occupation.
This is not about one country. If human rights are truly to guide our foreign policy, we need to act like it everywhere. Otherwise our words ring hollow.
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