For the second time since the start of the war in Gaza, the Biden administration decided to bypass Congress and grant Israel urgent security aid, after Secretary of State Antony Blinken exercised his authority to declare a state of emergency that requires immediate approval of the transfer. The aid includes 155mm shells and additional equipment worth $147.5 million, and follows the 14,000 shells worth $106 million provided to Israel in early December. These two transfers come amid heated political debates in Congress between Democrats and Republicans in response to President Biden's demand to link the approval of aid to Ukraine and Taiwan to the aid to Israel. As part of the legislation proposed by the administration, Israel would receive $14.3 billion in funding to replenish its depleted ammunition inventory following the invasion of Gaza, of which $4 billion is for the Iron Dome and David's Sling systems. For now, the lack of agreement between the two parties prevents the passage of legislation.
The move by Secretary of State Blinken and the State Department to bypass Congressional approval has drawn strong opposition from Democratic Congressional representatives and senators. In the background, many Democratic politicians criticize Israel's conduct of the war, including the high number of fatalities among non-involved civilians in Gaza. Prominent are Senators Chris Van Hollen from Maryland and Tim Kaine from Virginia who strongly opposed the transfer announcement of the shells to Israel. Senator Kaine has even asked the White House for a “public explanation of the rationale behind this decision” and stated that “unnecessarily bypassing Congress means keeping the American people in the dark.”
Although it is likely that Congress will ultimately pass the aid package to Israel after the Christmas recess, the debates within the Democratic Party regarding critical security assistance for use in the war in Gaza are expected to continue. At this stage, there are no indications that the administration intends to set conditions for security assistance to Israel, but the criticism indicates a negative trend among lawmakers that is even more prominent among the public, and contributes to the ever-expanding set of constraints the administration faces, particvlarly in a presidential election year.
For the second time since the start of the war in Gaza, the Biden administration decided to bypass Congress and grant Israel urgent security aid, after Secretary of State Antony Blinken exercised his authority to declare a state of emergency that requires immediate approval of the transfer. The aid includes 155mm shells and additional equipment worth $147.5 million, and follows the 14,000 shells worth $106 million provided to Israel in early December. These two transfers come amid heated political debates in Congress between Democrats and Republicans in response to President Biden's demand to link the approval of aid to Ukraine and Taiwan to the aid to Israel. As part of the legislation proposed by the administration, Israel would receive $14.3 billion in funding to replenish its depleted ammunition inventory following the invasion of Gaza, of which $4 billion is for the Iron Dome and David's Sling systems. For now, the lack of agreement between the two parties prevents the passage of legislation.
The move by Secretary of State Blinken and the State Department to bypass Congressional approval has drawn strong opposition from Democratic Congressional representatives and senators. In the background, many Democratic politicians criticize Israel's conduct of the war, including the high number of fatalities among non-involved civilians in Gaza. Prominent are Senators Chris Van Hollen from Maryland and Tim Kaine from Virginia who strongly opposed the transfer announcement of the shells to Israel. Senator Kaine has even asked the White House for a “public explanation of the rationale behind this decision” and stated that “unnecessarily bypassing Congress means keeping the American people in the dark.”
Although it is likely that Congress will ultimately pass the aid package to Israel after the Christmas recess, the debates within the Democratic Party regarding critical security assistance for use in the war in Gaza are expected to continue. At this stage, there are no indications that the administration intends to set conditions for security assistance to Israel, but the criticism indicates a negative trend among lawmakers that is even more prominent among the public, and contributes to the ever-expanding set of constraints the administration faces, particvlarly in a presidential election year.