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Shkruar nga Pamfleti
US President Joe Biden vowed to increase military support for Israel after Hamas militants killed more than 1,200 Israelis in an unprecedented and surprise attack that sparked a major retaliation against the Gaza Strip. controlled by the Palestinians.
His pledge has raised questions about whether Washington can send military aid to Israel without jeopardizing military aid to Ukraine, especially knowing that Kevin McCarthy has been fired as speaker of the House of Representatives and no one has yet been named in his place.
Biden administration officials insist Washington can definitely do both, though they acknowledge there will be challenges.
The US Congress controls spending, so Biden must convince the Senate and House of Representatives to pass legislation enabling additional funding. These spending laws usually originate in the House of Representatives, where the speaker — the leader chosen by the party with the majority — has control over what laws can come up for a vote.
Republicans hold a narrow 221-212 majority in the House of Representatives, which enabled a handful of members to impeach McCarthy last week. This happened for the first time in the history of the United States.
Because McCarthy's impeachment was unprecedented, it's unclear whether Rep. Patrick McHenry, who has been named interim speaker, can legally seek a vote on any relief legislation.
To further complicate the matter, many of the far-right members who ousted McCarthy oppose financial support for Ukraine, including Rep. Jim Jordan, who is the front-runner in the House speaker race.
House Republicans refused to include financial support for Ukraine in spending legislation that was passed at the last minute to avoid a shutdown of the US government.
Support for Israel is significantly stronger because Republicans are more closely aligned with conservative Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while the Biden administration is considering tying the request for Ukraine support to sending more money to Israel.
Israel is a long-term recipient of US military aid and enjoys consistent US support. Israel and the US agreed in 2016 to a 10-year deal worth $38 billion in annual grants for the purchase of military equipment, as well as $5 billion for missile defense systems.
At the current stage of the conflict, Israel's main needs are small arms for infantry units and for the air defense system, in order to protect civilian infrastructure and military centers.
It is highly unlikely that Israel would have exhausted its small arms ammunition so early in the conflict.
As for the air defense system, Israel uses the Iron Dome system, which was built with the help of the United States to provide air defense. Iron Dome is not designed to fire interceptors similar to those fired by the US Patriot air defense system and other defense systems deployed in Ukraine.
Ukraine's biggest needs are munitions, air defense systems and ground vehicles, as its military launched a counteroffensive this summer to liberate its territory from Russian forces after Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The United States has sent Ukraine $44 billion in security support since the Russian invasion began.
Të dy vendet – dhe përfituesit e tjerë të armëve si Tajvani – mund të përfitojnë nëse Kongresi e miraton financimin për ta rritur kapacitetin e përhershëm prodhues të kontraktorëve amerikanë të mbrojtjes. Kjo, po ashtu, do t’i zbuste shqetësimet se dërgimi i armëve amerikane jashtë vendit po i shteron stoqet amerikane duke rrezikuar sigurinë kombëtare.
Biden tha të martën se administrata e tij ka filluar tashmë t’i dërgojë Izraelit ndihma shtesë ushtarake, përfshirë interceptorë për Iron Dome, sistemin mbrojtës ajror. Ai tha se kur ta rifillojë punën Kongresi, administrata e tij do t’iu kërkojë ligjvënësve të ndërmarrin “veprime urgjente për kërkesat e sigurisë kombëtare të partnerëve tanë”.
Ka disa mënyra që mundësojnë dërgimin e ndihmave shtesë për Ukrainën – dhe Izraelin – përmes ligjit.
Congress could consider separate legislation for the two countries, similar to the spending request Biden made in August when he asked to include spending on Ukraine, unfortunately, and border security in the same legislation.
Funding for both places could be included in broader spending legislation, which Congress must pass by the end of this year to keep the government open when the temporary spending measure ends in November./ REL
Lini një Përgjigje