US Senate Democrats on Tuesday blocked a House bill that would have provided emergency aid to Israel without funding Ukraine, RT reported.
The White House proposal has sought to combine the aid for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, and migration policy – presented as “border security” – in order to overcome opposition by some Republicans to continued funding of Kyiv.
WHITE HOUSE: US President Joe Biden said that he requested, during a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, a temporary cessation of fighting in Gaza.
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— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) November 7, 2023
The Republican-majority House of Representatives, however, passed a $14 billion standalone package for Israel last week, to be offset by cuts to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
“Time is of the essence and it’s imperative that the Senate not delay delivering this crucial aid to Israel another day,” US Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas said on Tuesday, urging the Democrats to agree to the House bill.
“Our allies in Ukraine can no more afford a delay than our allies in Israel,” replied Patty Murray of Washington, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Palestinian and international organizations are warning that mass starvation is becoming a real possibility in Gaza, as the death toll resulting from Israeli massacres continues to rise.https://t.co/jVoM74Yw0H pic.twitter.com/yLe9ICFjwS
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) November 8, 2023
US Democrats accused House Republicans “of playing politics with the crisis in Israel”, delaying aid to Tel Aviv rather than writing a bipartisan bill, according to Reuters news agency.
Although US-Israel positions seem no longer in perfect harmony – following Washington’s calls for humanitarian pauses, which were rejected by Tel Aviv – United States National Security Council Coordinator John Kirby reiterated on Tuesday that his country will provide Israel with “the tools it needs to defend itself”.
(PC, RT)
