US Republicans Intend to Allocate $14.3bn to Israel

Republicans in the US House of Representatives have introduced a bill to provide aid to Israel, through cuts in the Inflation Reduction Act, The Hill writes. Republicans in the US House of Representatives have prepared and introduced a bill that would provide $14.3 billion in aid to Israel for its fight against the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas. Among other things, the document, released on Monday, October 30, proposes to allocate $4 billion for Israel’s Iron Dome and David’s Sling defense systems, as well as $1.2 billion for the development of the Iron Beam defense system, The Hill reported. The initiative is one of the first pieces of legislation introduced by new House Speaker Mike Johnson elected last week. As further noted, the bill will be considered on the floor on 1 November. The passing of the bill is in doubt At the same time, the provision of this aid package includes funding cuts to the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which Democrats have been pushing for and includes tax, health care and climate protection measures, The Hill outlines. Moreover, the aid package for Israel presented by Republicans contradicts to the White House strategy, which seeks to link aid to Ukraine and Israel in a single piece of legislation. Both of these facts may make it difficult to pass the bill, the newspaper says. Earlier, Mike Johnson said that funding for aid to Ukraine and Israel should be conducted separately, not as part of a single bill. Meanwhile, members of both parties and both houses of the US Congress emphasize the importance of supporting Israel in its fight against the Hamas terrorist group. A few days ago, following Johnson’s election as Speaker, the US House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a resolution in support of Israel. In the meantime, the US opposes the proposal for a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas because it would only benefit the terrorists, said John Kirby, Strategic Communications Coordinator at the White House National Security Council. “We don’t think a ceasefire is the right solution right now. A ceasefire right now will only benefit Hamas,” Kirby stressed. Instead, “pauses” should be considered to help civilians in the Gaza Strip and deliver humanitarian aid, the White House spokesman added.