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THE COMPLEX ISSUE OF ISRAEL IN WASHINGTON
By Lisa Desjardins, @LisaDNews
Correspondent
 
“Out of intense complexities, intense simplicities emerge.”
 
The observation by Winston Churchill — in his written history of World War I — came to mind as we approached writing this week.
 
Even by the tumultuous standards of the 118th Congress, this week is already one of the most complex and pivotal of the past two years.
 
Last night, House Speaker Mike Johnson announced he will push for four separate foreign aid bills, including funding for Ukraine, Israel, the Indo-Pacific region and, per our reporting, humanitarian aid. But that decision is also putting his speakership at risk, with now another House Republican raising the idea of forcing him out. 
 
Those dynamics are incredibly fluid. And in the middle of them, U.S. allies are waiting for aid.
 
This week let’s focus on one of them — Israel.
 
The U.S.-Israel alliance
 
The United States was the first nation to recognize Israel as a nation, in 1948. Here is what that alliance means in tangible terms today.

• The United States has long had a Memorandum of Understanding with Israel, outlining the alliance. The latest is in place until the year 2028. 
• Funding. $3.8 billion annually. The U.S. splits it so that $3.3 billion is for general military needs and $500 for missile defense. 
• Weapons, in general. The U.S. currently has 599 different forms of weapons, training or other resources it is sending to Israel via the Foreign Military Sales program. And it exports more in other ways.
• Weapons, specifically. Those weapons sent to Israel include F-35 fighter jets and CH-53K helicopters as well as guided missiles, ballistic missiles, torpedoes, bombs and mines.
• Defense industrial alliance. The two countries have increasingly become not just allies, but partners in the industry of making weapons. The Congressional Research Service wrote in 2022 that there have been “increased defense partnerships between U.S. and Israeli firms, whereby weapons development is done in Israel and production is completed in the United States.”

• A quick summary. In broad strokes, the House will vote on four separate bills by the end of this week, one for each of the aid packages for the three countries.
• Wait, what’s the fourth bill? The fourth bill is an apparent mix of national security measures, like a proposal to seize Russian assets to help pay for some Ukraine aid or possibly a TikTok ban.
• How will this work? Johnson wants to follow regular order to the degree possible. Members get three days to read bills. Some amendment votes will be allowed.
• What’s the timeline for this? Timing is still tricky. If we get more details about Johnson’s plan by Tuesday, a final vote could happen Friday.
• Dollars? We are waiting for full details, but we know it is roughly $95 billion, which would mirror the Senate-passed bill from February.

 
Why doesn’t the House pass Israel and Ukraine aid together? Ukraine allies see a potential moment to pass both Ukraine and Israel aid. (As mentioned above, the Senate has already passed this. Both countries are waiting on the House.)
 
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in an exclusive interview with the NewsHour’s Amna Nawaz, urged the U.S. to fulfill its promise for the long-delayed aid to Ukraine.
 
“The ball is on your field,” he said. “Please, just make [a] decision.”