The home of Representatives on Wednesday rejected an amendment to remove the full aid package for Israel from the draft abroad Expenditure Act, comprising $3.3 billion of military and humanitarian support. 314 congressmen voted against, 104 opposed, and 10 abstained.
As the fresh York Times noted, among Democrats 103 parliamentarians supported the halting of aid, 98 were against, and 10 chose the option "present" without taking a clear position. Many democratic congressmen explained their support for the amendment not with opposition to humanitarian aid, but with the desire to protest the policy pursued by the Israeli government in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and Lebanon.
Rights of Palestinians
The Democratic leader in the Hakeem Jeffries home of Representatives voted against the amendment, but at the same time called for a major change in the relation between the United States and Israel. He besides suggested that future military aid could be dependent on respect for Palestinian rights.
The fresh York Times/Siena College May diary besides cites a change in mood. According to his results, 74% of Democratic organization voters argue the further transfer of economical and military aid to Israel, and this position dominates all age groups.
Israel’s Open Criticism
Although the cut-off amendment has not been accepted, the distribution of the votes itself is considered an crucial political signal in Washington. This consequence shows that the open criticism of Benjamin Netanyahu's government became part of the mainstream debate within the Democratic Party.
From an global point of view, this represents an expanding hazard for Israel, which gradually loses the position of a cross-party issue in the US Congress. The American administration increasingly has to reconcile maintaining the strategical safety of a mediate east ally with the expectations of its own voters.
