US House of Representatives rejects law to aid Israel alone

The US House of Representatives has rejected a bill submitted by Republicans to provide $17.6 billion to Israel.

However, the Democrats said they wanted to vote on a more comprehensive bill instead, one that would also provide aid to Ukraine, international humanitarian funding efforts, and provide new funding for security forces. 

As many as 250 representatives voted in favour of the draft law, and 180 rejected it, but it was not passed because it was presented under a quick procedure that requires a two-thirds majority for approval.

The vote was largely on a partisan basis, despite 14 Republican representatives opposing the bill and 46 Democratic representatives supporting it.

The initiative to provide aid to Israel, one of the largest recipients of US foreign aid, enjoys strong support in Congress.

But many opponents described the House bill as a political ploy by Republicans to divert attention from their opposition to the Senate bill, which includes $118 billion in funding, combining reform of US immigration policy, providing new funding for border security, and providing billions of dollars in emergency aid, for Ukraine, Israel, and Washington’s partners in the Indo-Pacific region.