The US House of Representatives passed a broad $95 billion aid package on Saturday, with $17 billion earmarked for Israel in support of its war against Hamas.
According to CNN, Israel will receive $4 billion for the Iron Dome and David’s Sling missile defense systems, $1.2 billion for the Iron Beam defense system, and $4.4 billion to replenish defense items and services provided to Israel. An additional $3.5 billion will be allocated to procure advanced weapons systems and other items through the Foreign Military Financing Program.
The package also includes $9 billion in humanitarian aid, with the White House expected to allocate approximately $2 billion for Gaza. However, the bill prohibits funds from being sent to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), an organization that was caught helping Hamas.
Israeli leaders expressed gratitude for the US support, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying on X that the bill “demonstrates strong bipartisan support for Israel and defends Western civilization. Thank you friends, thank you America!” Foreign Minister Israel Katz echoed this sentiment, stating on X that the House’s approval of aid “sends a strong message to our enemies.”
Despite the overwhelming support for the bill, which passed with a vote of 366-58, some anti-Israel Democrats, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Joaquin Castro, issued a statement expressing concerns over the “extraordinary suffering inflicted on the people of Gaza.”
“Most Americans do not want our government to write a blank check to further Prime Minister Netanyahu’s war in Gaza. The United States needs to help Israel find a path to win the peace,” they wrote.
The bill, which also sends aid to Ukraine and Taiwan, is now heading to the Democratic-majority Senate for approval before being signed into law by President Joe Biden.
