Israeli Weapon Damaged Iranian Air Defenses Without Being Detected, Officials Say

Rep. Joaquin Castro, Democrat of Texas, called the vote a “defining vote,” adding: “We’re either going to participate in the carnage or we’re not going to participate in it.”

There is no doubt that the bill, which would send about $13 billion in military aid to Israel as it continues its offensive in Gaza, will pass the House, along with money for Ukraine, Taiwan and other US allies.

But progressive Democrats estimate that 40 to 60 members of their party could oppose it on Saturday in the House. That would be a striking signal from Congress, where bipartisan support for Israel has long been the norm. And it would highlight the deep divisions that the war in Gaza has sown within the Democratic Party, even as more Democrats, including Mr. Biden, have begun criticizing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s approach to the conflict. and to urge him to better protect civilians.

The legislation would allocate $5 billion for Israel’s defense capabilities and $9 billion for “global humanitarian assistance,” including for civilians in Gaza. But it would not impose additional conditions on how Israel could use U.S. military aid, nor would it block future arms transfers from the United States, as a growing number of Democrats seek to do.

Democrats leading the campaign against the Israel aid bill said they strongly support the Jewish state and its right to defend itself, and would vote to send aid military that would support Israel’s defense capabilities, for example by reconstituting the Iron Dome, David’s Sling. and Iron Beam defense systems. They also denounced the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack that sparked the war, and said hostages taken by Hamas must be released.

But they argued that unconditionally approving more offensive weapons was an untenable moral and political position that would amount to support for Mr. Netanyahu’s continuation of the war, including his intention to invade Rafah over the objections of the Biden administration. More than 33,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the start of the conflict, according to the Health Ministry, and the population is facing a food crisis.

“I understand the need for defensive weapons for Israel, especially in light of the Iranian attack,” said Rep. Ro Khanna, Democrat of California, who ran his first campaign on an anti-war platform and contributed to lead efforts to end American involvement in the war. in Yemen. “But there is no justification for providing bombs and weapons to Netanyahu to continue the war in Gaza that is killing thousands of innocent Palestinian women and children. »

Saturday’s vote will recall a similar situation from 2007, when then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Democrat of California, split a spending bill to allow Democrats to express opposition to funding the Iraq war while supporting a national funding bill. Speaker Mike Johnson, Republican of Louisiana, also divided the foreign aid package up for consideration Saturday in order to get each item across the finish line, facing distinct coalitions of resistance to different elements of the bill.

In a critical test vote Friday, the House agreed, 316 to 94, to advance the package, with 39 Democrats — mostly progressives — joining 55 Republicans in opposition.

“This is the time for members of Congress who support a safe and secure Israel to send the message that giving Netanyahu more offensive weapons is not a path to peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians ” said Rep. Becca Balint, a Vermont Democrat and freshman congresswoman. Jewish member of Congress calls for ceasefire, said in interview. “Giving Netanyahu more offensive weapons at this point, I think, is condoning the destruction of Gaza that we have seen over the last six months. And it’s also the green light for an invasion of Rafah.”

Rep. Lloyd Doggett, a Texas Democrat who led opposition to funding the Iraq war in 2007, said conversations among Democrats in Congress opposing continued U.S. support for the Gaza war were “not unlike” those which took place 17 years ago.

“We may well vote on whether a much larger war will take place and whether American weapons will result in the deaths of thousands of innocent people,” Mr. Doggett said.

Democrats who oppose the Israel aid package represent a minority of their caucus. But they see the “no” vote as part of a strategy to pressure Mr. Biden to condition aid and halt future offensive arms transfers. Through numerous meetings, text chains and conversations with the administration, they worked to change the president’s approach to Israel, while highlighting the electoral risks Mr. Biden faces among voters who helped him reach the White House in 2020 and are now furious at his handling of the war.

“The only way we’re going to get a change in direction is if a significant number of members of the Democratic caucus say this needs to change,” Ms. Balint said.

Representative Dan Kildee, a Michigan Democrat who has lobbied Mr. Biden to deny offensive weapons to Israel, said a resounding “no” would strengthen the president’s hand to achieve that.

“It helps the administration that a number of Democrats are speaking out in this way,” he said.

Rep. Greg Casar, Democrat of Texas, said he hoped a substantial number of Democrats opposed to the bill would give the Biden administration greater leverage to influence the Israeli government’s approach to the war.

“I hope this vote shows the world that there is a very significant part of the United States that does not want to see wars expand and expand,” he said.