The US House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to give $1 billion to Israel to replenish the arsenal of its Iron Dome rocket defence system.
The Iron Dome, a surface-to-air missile system, made headlines during the war between Hamas and Israel in May as it shot down numerous rockets fired towards Israeli towns and cities.
The measure to fund the Iron Dome was passed by 420 in favour to nine opposed (eight Democrats and one Republican), while two members voted present. The proposal will now move to the Senate, where a vote is yet to be scheduled.
Interestingly, the proposal was removed from a broader spending bill earlier this week, following objections from "progressive" Democrats, who have accused Israel of human rights abuses. Reuters reported, "removal of the Iron Dome funding angered centrist Democrats and led Republicans to label the party as anti-Israel, despite a long tradition in the US Congress of strong support from both parties for the Jewish state".
Following this, Democrat leaders announced the proposal would be introduced via a stand-alone bill. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett thanked both parties for acting to pass the bill. "Those who try to challenge this support got a resounding response today," Bennett said in a statement.
During a debate on funding for the bill, Democratic Representative Rashida Tlaib argued, "We should also be talking about the Palestinian need for protection against Israeli attack."
Tlaib had announced ahead of the vote that "I plan on casting a no vote. We must stop enabling Israel's human rights abuses and apartheid government."
Another Democrat Representative Ilhan Omar, who opposed the proposal, tweeted, "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."
Tlaib and Omar are the first Muslim woman members of Congress. Dean Philips, a Democratic representative who is Jewish, told CNN he was "incredulous" when he learnt the proposal was removed from the original bill.
Democrat Representative Elissa Slotkin was quoted by CNN as saying that opposition to the funding for Israel was "devoid of substance and irresponsible”.
Ted Deutch, another Jewish lawmaker, hit out at Tlaib. "I cannot allow one of my colleagues to stand on the floor of the House of Representatives and label the Jewish democratic state of Israel an apartheid state. I reject it... If you believe in saving lives, Israeli lives and Palestinian lives, I say to my colleague who just besmirched our ally, then you will support this legislation,” Deutch said.
