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'Squad' angers pro-Israel Dems with stance against Iron Dome funding
AOC, Tlaib successfully opposed funding, drawing ire of many fellow Dems
Pro-Israel Democrats are pushing back after far-left members of the party successfully pushed to have $1 billion in funding for the Iron Dome missile defense system stripped from a spending bill last week.
After members of the so-called "Squad" of House members led by Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., successfully threatened to oppose the bill that was needed to prevent a government shutdown, House Appropriations Committee Chair Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., introduced a standalone bill to provide the money for the system that has prevented countless casualties in Israel since its introduction in 2011.
"The United States’ commitment to the security of our friend and ally Israel is ironclad. Replenishing interceptors used to protect Israel from attacks is our legal and moral responsibility," DeLauro said in a statement.
"While this funding would ordinarily be included in a year-end spending package, we are advancing this legislation now to demonstrate Congress’ bipartisan commitment to Israel’s security as part of a Middle East with lasting peace," DeLauro continued, referencing how members of her party prevented the inclusion of the money in the larger spending bill, while insisting that Democrats as a whole still support Israel.
DeLauro was far from the only Democrat to speak out regarding the need to continue supporting Israel and the Iron Dome. House Majority Leader Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said he would bring the bill to the floor for a vote, calling it "urgently needed."
Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., also said she would work to ensure Congress continues to fund the Iron Dome.
"The Iron Dome is critical to Israel’s national security and livelihood. It saves lives, defends the entire nation from terror attacks, and I will do everything in my power to ensure it stays funded," Maloney tweeted.
Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., a progressive who is often at odds with the Squad due to their differences regarding Israel, had sharp words directed at those who would oppose the Iron Dome.
"A missile defense system (i.e. Iron Dome) defends civilians from missiles. Hence the name. Only in a morally inverted universe would this be considered a 'controversy,'" he said.
Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., called the Iron Dome "critical" and said it was "unacceptable" to delay the funding.
"The Iron Dome is critical to Israel's safety and security, and directly tied to our safety and security," Demings tweeted Tuesday. "Delays in funding are unacceptable. It should not be removed from this week's bill and we should pass it immediately."
Not long after DeLauro announced the new bill, Tlaib tweeted that she plans to vote against it, stating that she would not support "human rights abuses and apartheid government."
Tlaib's fellow Michigan Democrat, Rep. Elissa Slotkin, noted in a Tuesday Twitter thread that the "Iron Dome is a purely *defensive* system" that "protects civilians when hundreds of rockets are shot at population centers." She went on to discuss the history of cooperation between the U.S. and Israel on the Iron Dome and the funding that has been in place for years.
"All of this is publicly-available information. So to target Iron Dome now means the issue isn’t a genuine concern over the system, but rather the desire to attack something - anything - related to the State of Israel; it’s devoid of substance and irresponsible," she said.
David Marcus: Biden's foreign policy unraveling as Democrats snub Israel
The current fracas regarding Israel is just a drop in the bucket of blunders
This week moderate House Democrats caved to the progressive wing of their congressional caucus by agreeing to cut a billion dollars for Israel’s Iron Dome defense system from the proposed federal budget bill.
It is a symbolic and messaging victory for members of "the Squad," like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rep. Ilhan Omar, who would like to change our nation’s historic relationship with the world’s only Jewish state and the only democracy in the Middle East.
Democrat leaders in the House were quick to point out that they would restore funding to the defense system that protects Israel from foreign rockets in upcoming legislation. Some even rebuked the snub from progressives. But that didn’t stop an Amendment to restore the funding from failing along purely partisan lines on Tuesday night. And this is not an isolated incident.
Since President Joe Biden took office, his administration has sought to reestablish a Palestinian consulate in Jerusalem. It is also seeking to revive the Iran Nuclear Deal. Both of these positions face heavy opposition in Israel. Now Congressional Democrats are temporarily halting key military aid.
I asked former Jerusalem mayor and current Knesset member Nir Barkat, about the situation and he expressed both concern and hopeful optimism. "The same small but vocal group of members of Congress who are trying to prevent the United States from re-supplying Israel with Iron Dome interceptors is trying to push the US administration to open a consulate in Jerusalem that serves the Palestinians. These members oppose the existence of the State of Israel and are anti-peace," he said, referring to the House progressives.
But, he added, "Fortunately, this group does not reflect the mainstream elements of either Party and we are working closely with our Republican and Democratic friends to uphold Israel’s safety, security, and legitimacy." One hopes that he is right about that. But on the other hand, if this small group of leftist Democrats can hold major legislation hostage, then, to borrow a phrase, what difference does it make?
Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, who serves on the foreign affairs committee, recently told me, "Whether it’s reconciliation or something like this, moderates talk a big game and then cave to Pelosi and ‘the Squad.’" She added, "We need these democrats to have backbones—not fold like cheap suits." So, who is really running the show in the Democrat Caucus?
The current fracas regarding Israel is just a drop in the bucket of blunders Democrats have filled up since President Biden took over the White House. France temporarily withdrew its ambassadors from the United States for the first time ever—and that’s going back to the days of tri cornered hats. We are relying on the Taliban for the safety of Americans in Afghanistan, and all this from the president who promised, "diplomacy is back."
Democrats have created all of this anxiety for our allies and opportunity for our enemies. To put it mildly, Biden’s diplomatic efforts under Secretary of State Antony Blinken have been a series of disasters. Even among those who opposed Biden’s run for the White House, few could have imagined this parade of horribles playing out in less than one year.
At some point, and that point has long since come and gone, it is no longer enough for the president to essentially say "just trust me because I’m not Donald Trump." Biden’s foreign policy is utterly unraveling and he appears to have absolutely no control over his party in Congress. Israelis have good reason to worry, Americans have good reason to worry. In fact, the entire world has good reason to worry. Every day that passes, many events seem too big for Biden. And for our country, that situation is simply not sustainable.
David Marcus is a columnist living in New York City and the author of "Charade: The Covid Lies That Crushed A Nation."