Above photo: AFP.
Despite global outrage over Israel’s genocide of Palestinians in Gaza, the US Congress has doubled down on support for Washington’s ‘best ally.’
The US House of Representatives on 12 June approved an amendment to the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act that prevents the Pentagon from allocating any of its ballooning budget for reconstruction efforts in Gaza.
“None of the funds authorized to be appropriated by this Act or otherwise made available to the Secretary of Defense for fiscal year 2025 may be made available to build in or rebuild the Gaza Strip on or after the date of the enactment of this Act,” the amendment reads.
The provision was introduced by Republican lawmakers Brian Mast, Claudia Tenney, and Eli Crane. Although House Democrats opposed the amendment, they did not request a recorded vote and allowed it to pass by a simple voice vote.
“[The Palestinians] are absolutely at war with one of our major and best allies anywhere across the globe,” Mast said during Wednesday’s session, adding that it is “nonsensical” to suggest the US should spend a fraction of its nearly $1 trillion defense budget on rebuilding a place that has been razed to the ground by US-made weapons and with direct support from the Pentagon.
“The House advancing anti-Palestinian amendments into legislation at this stage reaffirms that many in Congress do not value the lives of their Palestinian constituents,” Mohammed Khader, a policy manager at US Campaign for Palestinian Rights Action, told reporters.
“Blocking funds to rebuild Gaza while actively providing taxpayer dollars, weapons, and intelligence to destroy Gaza and Palestinian society reaffirms that lawmakers intend for the US to be an active participant in Israel’s atrocities,” he added.
Since the start of Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza, the US has delivered hundreds of arms shipments to the country and has provided persistent political cover for Israeli authorities.
US lawmakers have gone as far as to threaten sanctioning officials from the International Criminal Court (ICC) and cutting funding for UN agencies due to their support for an end to the genocide of Palestinians.