A dozen Senate Democrats, along with independent Sen. Bernie Sanders, came out Thursday in support of requiring that pending U.S. military aid for Israel and other allies be used in compliance with the laws of war and international and U.S. law.
Quick Read
- Conditioning Military Aid: A group of Senate Democrats and Sen. Bernie Sanders are proposing an amendment to condition U.S. military aid to Israel. The amendment, led by Sen. Chris Van Hollen, would require that the aid be used in compliance with international and U.S. law, as well as the laws of war. This comes in response to the civilian casualties in Gaza due to Israeli bombardment following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack in Israel.
- Proposal’s Prospects: The proposal to attach conditions to the upcoming wartime aid package for Israel is unlikely to pass in the Senate or the House. However, it indicates a shift among some U.S. lawmakers due to the rising civilian death toll in Gaza.
- Netanyahu’s Warning to Lebanon: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened to target parts of Lebanon if the Hezbollah militant group escalates its attacks. This statement followed an incident where an Israeli farmer was killed by an anti-tank missile fired from Lebanon.
- Tensions with Hezbollah: The situation has escalated with Hezbollah firing rockets into Israel in response to the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas. Netanyahu’s comments suggest a potential for significant military response against Lebanon, similar to the ongoing situation in Gaza.
- Impact on Civilians: The ongoing rocket fire and counter-attacks have led to evacuations of civilians living near the Israel-Lebanon border, indicating rising tensions and potential for broader conflict in the region.
The Associated Press has the story:
Senate Democrats proposed to tie US aid to Israel to compliance with law
Newslooks- WASHINGTON (AP)
A dozen Senate Democrats, along with independent Sen. Bernie Sanders, came out Thursday in support of requiring that pending U.S. military aid for Israel and other allies be used in compliance with the laws of war and international and U.S. law.
Led by Sen. Chris Van Hollen, the senators proposed their amendment in response to nearly two months of Israeli bombardment of neighborhoods, refugee camps and other heavily populated sites across the Gaza Strip after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack in Israel.
The proposal, outlined in a joint letter Thursday, would attach the conditions in an amendment to a supplemental aid package pushed by the Biden administration that includes $14.3 billion in wartime aid for Israel.
Israel has enjoyed strong bipartisan support from Congress for decades. The proposal to condition the upcoming wartime aid is not expected to pass either the Democratic-controlled Senate or Republican-held House. But the move signals that the rising civilian death toll in Gaza is leading to an erosion of support among some lawmakers in the U.S., Israel’s most important ally.
NETANYAHU THREATENS PARTS OF LEBANON OVER HEZBOLLAH ATTACKS
JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened to flatten parts of Lebanon if the Hezbollah militant group escalates its attacks on Israeli targets.
Netanyahu delivered the threat on Thursday during a visit to a military base in northern Israel. The visit came as a 54-year-old Israeli farmer was killed by an anti-tank missile fired from Lebanon.
Netanyahu said images of destruction in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip provide a glimpse of what could lie ahead for Lebanon.
“If Hezbollah chooses to launch an all-out war, then it will single-handedly turn Beirut and southern Lebanon, not far from here, to Gaza and Khan Yunis,” he said.
The Israeli military said it struck Hezbollah infrastructure in response to rocket fire Thursday.
Hezbollah began firing rockets and targeting military installations along Israel’s northern border after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7 and triggered the war.
The rocket fire — and Israel’s counter-attacks in Lebanon — have led thousands of Israeli and Lebanese civilians who reside near the border to evacuate.
