POLITICS
What is Biden’s request for $106 billion in aid to Israel and Ukraine? Who supports it?
The US government announced their plans for increased funding for its allies in Ukraine and Israel but there is widespread opposition.
The Israeli bombardment of Gaza has entered its third week. With no signs of a ceasefire coming, Israeli troops massed on the border, and acrimonious fights breaking out at the United Nations, the fighting looks set to escalate in the coming weeks.
The US is gearing up for extra support for its primary Middle-Eastern ally. A new spending bill is set to travel through Congress, once a new speaker is in place, that will give extra funding to Israel.
However, there is plenty more funding tied into the bill that also effect Ukraine and more. Let us dive into it.
How much money is for Israel?
$14.3 billion is ear-marked for Israel. The Middle-Eastern nation is America’s strongest ally in the region andthe US funds the vast majority of its weapons and military capability, which are currently targeted at Gaza. The people in this part of Palestine has been under aerial bombardment for two weeks in response to the Hamas attack, itself a response to the Israeli occupation and blockade of Gaza. A million people have been forced to leave their homes.
“It is important to also recognise the attacks by Hamas did not happen in a vacuum,” United Nations chief Antonio Guterres said on Tuesday. “The Palestinian people have been subjected to 56 years of suffocating occupation,” Guterres said.
“But the grievances of the Palestinian people cannot justify the appalling attacks by Hamas. And those appalling attacks cannot justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people,” he said.
How much money is for Ukraine?
$61.4 billion will .be sent to Ukraine. The war against Russia will soon be heading into its third year in 2024. The supposed grand summer offensive by Ukraine did not amount to much change on the ground and the two forces have settled in for the winter. $112 billion was sent to Ukraine in 2022.
What is the rest of the money for?
The rest of the money is a combination of aid for the people of Ukraine, Palestine, and Israel. A small amount is for east Asian nations as the US aims to stop China from becoming the strongest economy in the world.
Curiously, some $14 billion have been allocated to increased US border security.
Support for the extra funding is widespread
The Republican party has been railing against extra spending for Ukraine in its war against Russia. It may have been expected they would also be against this spending package, but their tune has changed since Israel’s attack.
“We have big power competition from China, and Russia and we still have terrorism problems, as the Israelis have certainly experienced in a brutal way in the last week,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said on CBS’ “Face the Nation” Sunday.
“I think that requires a worldwide approach rather than trying to take parts of it out.”
With Republican support there should be no problems for the Democrats to pass the bill.