US Democrat lawmakers are threatening to withhold military aid to Israel if PM Netanyahu should move forward with his annexation plans; Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez is spearheading this effort.
While Israel continues to strategize their plans for annexing part of the Jordan Valley in the coming days, Democrat lawmakers belonging to the United States Congress planned their opposition. Four far-left representatives drafted a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo calling for the reduction of $3.8 billion in annual military aid to the Jewish State should the annexation take place.
Senator Bernie Sanders (Vermont) later endorsed the letter.
The letter states, “Should the Israeli government move forward with the planned annexation with this administration’s acquiescence, we will work to ensure non-recognition as well as pursue conditions on the $3.8 billion in U.S. military funding to Israel, including human rights conditions and withholding funds for the off-shore procurement of Israeli weapons equal to or exceeding the amount the Israeli government spends annually to fund settlements, as well as the policies and practices that sustain and enable them.”
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) released a statement via social media in response to the letter that read, “AIPAC opposes the letter being circulated by @RepAOC—cosigned by @RepJayapal, @RepRashida & @BettyMcCollum04—which explicitly threatens the U.S.-Israel relationship in ways that would damage American interests, risk the security of Israel & make a two-state solution less likely.”
PM Netanyahu is looking to begin the annexation process (that will not remove any Palestinian from their home) on July 1st. Last week, over 100 GOP lawmakers vowed support for Israel to carry out its annexation plans as necessary, recognizing them as sovereign over the land.
These lawmakers sent a bill to PM Netanyahu that read, “Israel has the right to make sovereign decisions independent of outside pressure.”
Given the current climate in the United States, it’s a bit alarming that members of congress would go out of their way to condemn Israel rather than addressing the immediate issues in their own country. AOC and her constituents have held a longstanding loyalty to the Palestinian agenda.
