Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) National President Morton A. Klein released the following message:
ZOA is outraged by the Jew-hating, heartless votes of isolationist Republican Congressman Thomas Massie (R-KY) and 103 Democratic Congressmembers who joined Massie in voting to endanger Jewish lives by eliminating all $3.3 billion in U.S. military assistance to the tiny Jewish State of Israel for FY 2027 – at a time when Israel is threatened on multiple fronts.
Thankfully, Massie’s amendment was defeated (314 to 104) because all other Republican Congressmembers and 98 Democratic representatives voted against the amendment. The Democratic leadership was split, with Minority Leader Hakim Jeffries (D-NY) voting for the aid and Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-MA) supporting the anti-Jewish State amendment. Former Speaker Pelosi (D-CA) joined the enemies of Israel in opposing the aid. These haters of the Jewish State said nothing about cutting $2 billion in U.S. aid to the Islamic country of Egypt or the $1.5 billion in U.S. aid to the Islamic country of Jordan, even though these undemocratic countries vote against U.S. interests at the United Nations and have terrible human rights records. Egypt also prevents Gazan Arabs from transiting through Egypt’s border with Gaza. Jordan also harbors, celebrates and refuses to extradite terrorist masterminds and murderers of American Jews and other Jewish civilians.
ZOA National President Morton Klein explained:
“$2.5 billion of the aid Israel receives from the U.S. is due to Israel, based on the 1978 Sinai Accords between Israel, Egypt and the U.S. The U.S. induced Israel to give up all of Sinai, the Alma oil fields and four Sinai oil wells that Israel had developed at enormous cost, by the U.S. agreeing to pay Israel $2.5 billion per year of lost oil revenue. Incidentally, according to AI calculations, the oil reserves Israel was induced by the U.S. to give up in the Alma oil fields would be worth a staggering $433.8 billion today.
“Further, the $3.3 billion in aid for 2027 is included in the ten-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for fiscal years 2018 through 2027, signed by the Jewish State of Israel and President Obama in 2016; and all of that aid must be spent in the U.S., producing well-paid American jobs.
“The Jewish State of Israel and the U.S. are working out a future mechanism for defense cooperation starting in FY 2028. It is envisioned that joint projects will be funded by each country, and that there will be a gradual tapering off of the current military assistance model in the future.
“U.S. assistance to other countries, for example Canada and the UK, uses a mechanism that is different from aid to Israel, Jordan, Egypt and Lebanon. U.S. aid to such other countries is embedded in defense spending bills, including the monies that are spent for the defense of Korea and NATO, so no equivalent vote is ever held on those funds.
“Democrats – including some who voted against eliminating FY 2027 aid to Israel – said they wanted to send a message to Israel that Prime Minister Netanyahu should not be allowed to continue to engage in war. This is outrageous, because the wars were started by and continue to be pursued by the Iranian regime and its proxies, including Hezbollah, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. If there were no tens of thousands of rockets fired at Israel, no terrorist massacres of innocent Jews, no kidnappings, and no continuing threat to Israel’s existence, there would be no war.”
ZOA National President Morton Klein further stated:
“The 104 votes for eliminating FY 2027 assistance betray the security of the United States and of the Jewish State.
“When the USA commits to a ten-year plan to provide military assistance to the Jewish State, that assistance – all of which is purchased in the U.S. – that commitment is important for the national interests of the U.S. as well as Israel. The benefits to the U.S. of the alliance with Israel are worth many times the expenditure planned for next year. In addition, if the U.S. suddenly withholds agreed-upon assistance and weaponry to Israel, how can any country in the world rely on the U.S. to live up to agreements the U.S. signs with them?
“ZOA has always preferred that Israel become less dependent on the U.S. over time, but it is impossible to change the terms of defense cooperation in the middle of a major existential conflict started and pursued by the enemies of the U.S. and Israel.
“It is particularly disturbing that a few Jewish Democrats voted for this dangerous, evil amendment, endangering Jewish lives. Those Jewish Democrats’ frightening, pathetic fear and appeasement of the enemies of the Jewish State will never be forgotten.”
ZOA Director of Government Relations Dan Pollak said:
“We are gratified that the amendment to eliminate FY 2027 military aid to Israel did not pass. We thank every member of Congress who voted to put America’s military necessity ahead of antisemitic partisan agendas. The whole idea of a performative vote while American and Israeli servicemen are putting their lives on the line is sickening. The idea that this vote is a measure of internal American politics or even a preference by these lawmakers that Israel should change its Prime Minister is appalling. We are happy that this may be the last damage that lame duck Rep. Thomas Massie is going to be doing to American national security, after losing his primary a few weeks ago. Massie will be leaving the House in disgrace at the end of this term.
“ZOA also thanks the GOP leadership and President Trump for standing with the Jewish State. In addition, there are 98 courageous, clear-thinking, patriotic Democrats who refused to give in to the radicals in their party. That fact gives me some hope that enough people care about doing the right thing. The fact that this was such a brave vote for some of those Democratic Congressmen is a sobering thought. Support for Israeli weapons purchases should be bipartisan. The extremist Democratic Socialists who hate America and Israel should not be driving the agenda.”
ZOA Deputy Director of Government Relations Adam Turner said:
“We must remember that Israel’s war occurred not only because 1,200 Jews were brutally murdered in cold blood; 250 Jews and others were taken hostage; Hamas, PIJ and Hezbollah launched over 40,000 rockets at Israeli civilians over the last twenty years; and Iran launched over 500 ballistic missiles at Israeli civilians – but also because the 6,000 Hamas and Palestinian Arab terrorists and accompanying Gazan ‘civilians’ who invaded Israel on October 7th murdered 48 U.S. citizens and took 12 U.S. citizens hostage.
“U.S. aid to Israel in FY 2027 will be entirely spent in the United States, directly strengthening American defense supply chains while employing tens of thousands of Americans. Israel provides crucial intelligence that enhances U.S. fighting abilities and has improved U.S. weaponry and aircraft that have protected American lives for decades. General George Keegan Jr., former head of U.S. Air Force Intelligence, stated that American military defense capability ‘owes more to Israeli intelligence input than to any other source of intelligence,’ and that it’s worth more than ‘five CIAs.’ Former CIA Director John Brennan stated that Israel provided intelligence that led to the elimination of Bin Laden. Former CIA chief Mike Pompeo said, ‘the relationship between the U.S. and Israel is incredibly valuable. As CIA Director, I saw firsthand how many American lives were saved thanks to Israeli intelligence.’”
Here is the list of Democrats who joined Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) in seeking to eliminate funds to the Jewish State of Israel:
Gabe Amo (RI) • Yassamin Ansari (AZ) • Jake Auchincloss (MA) • Becca Balint (VT) • Nanette Barragán (CA) • Don Beyer (VA) • Suzanne Bonamici (OR) • Julia Brownley (CA) • Salud Carbajal (CA) • André Carson (IN) • Troy Carter (LA) • Greg Casar (TX) • Joaquin Castro (TX) • Judy Chu (CA) • Katherine Clark (MA) • Jasmine Crockett (TX) • Jason Crow (CO) • Danny Davis (IL) • Madeleine Dean (PA) • Diana DeGette (CO) • Chris Deluzio (PA) • Mark DeSaulnier (CA) • Maxine Dexter (OR) • Lloyd Doggett (TX) • Veronica Escobar (TX) • Dwight Evans (PA) • Valerie Foushee (NC) • Laura Friedman (CA) • Maxwell Frost (FL) • John Garamendi (CA) • Robert Garcia (CA) • Jesús García (IL) • Sylvia Garcia (TX) • Maggie Goodlander (NH) • Al Green (TX) • Adelita Grijalva (AZ) • Josh Harder (CA) • Jahana Hayes (CT) • Pablo José Hernández (PR) • Steven Horsford (NV) • Chrissy Houlahan (PA) • Val Hoyle (OR) • Glenn Ivey (MD) • Jonathan Jackson (IL) • Sara Jacobs (CA) • Pramila Jayapal (WA) • Hank Johnson (GA) • Julie Johnson (TX) • Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA) • Bill Keating (MA) • Robin Kelly (IL) • Ro Khanna (CA) • Summer Lee (PA) • Teresa Leger Fernandez (NM) • Zoe Lofgren (CA) • Stephen Lynch (MA) • Seth Magaziner (RI) • John Mannion (NY) • Doris Matsui (CA) • Sarah McBride (DE) • Morgan McGarvey (KY) • Jim McGovern (MA) • LaMonica McIver (NJ) • Analilia Mejia (NJ) • Christian Menefee (TX) • Dave Min (CA) • Gwen Moore (WI) • Seth Moulton (MA) • Kevin Mullin (CA) • Richard Neal (MA) • Joe Neguse (CO) • Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY) • Ilhan Omar (MN) • Nancy Pelosi (CA) • Brittany Pettersen (CO) • Chellie Pingree (ME) • Mark Pocan (WI) • Ayanna Pressley (MA) • Mike Quigley (IL) • Delia Ramirez (IL) • Emily Randall (WA) • Jamie Raskin (MD) • Deborah Ross (NC) • Pat Ryan (NY) • Andrea Salinas (OR) • Mary Gay Scanlon (PA) • Jan Schakowsky (IL) • Robert Scott (VA) • Lateefah Simon (CA) • Adam Smith (WA) • Melanie Stansbury (NM) • Mark Takano (CA) • Bennie Thompson (MS) • Rashida Tlaib (MI) • Jill Tokuda (HI) • Paul Tonko (NY) • Lori Trahan (MA) • Derek Tran (CA) • Lauren Underwood (IL) • Gabe Vasquez (NM) • Nydia Velázquez (NY) • Maxine Waters (CA) • Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ)