Justice cannot wait! We reject billions to Israel
Last night, Democratic leadership in the House pushed through billions of dollars in military and weapons funding to Israel as part of a must-pass “omnibus” government funding bill.
Democratic House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer rigged the vote against justice for all: in order to vote for humanitarian funding for Ukraine, and funding at home for hospitals, domestic violence shelters, clean drinking water, public transportation, and other life-giving community projects, Congress had to also vote for billions of dollars in military and weapons funding to Israel. As a result of this horrific merger of life-threatening and life-giving funding into one bill, it is guaranteed to easily pass in the Senate as well.
Lumping support for apartheid Israel into a bill funding essential government services is a depraved move by Democratic leadership to create an anti-democratic, false choice vote. The omnibus bill includes $4.8 billion to Israel—$3.8 billion in annual military funding, and an additional $1 billion for Iron Dome weapons, as well as diplomatic support for Israeli impunity through H.R. 2748, which we call the Normalizing Israeli Ethnic Cleansing Act. H.R. 2748 advances the regressive Trump administration foreign policy of the Abraham Accords, furthering arms deals with authoritarian regimes while sidelining Palestinian rights.
All of this comes as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is making it painfully clear that the world constantly gaslights the Palestinian people. As we witness the world mobilize in solidarity with the Ukranian people to boycott, divest from, and sanction Russia, the international community continues denying the Palestinian people this same solidarity. The Palestinian people have specifically and urgently asked for these same tactics for over 16 years.
Although the House has just passed this funding bill, we will make sure that leadership hears us loud and clear: collective liberation requires full solidarity with all colonized or occupied peoples resisting imperialism, from Ukraine to Palestine, and we will not settle for the racist dehumanization of the Palestinian people.
Take action and call Hoyer today: we reject billions to Israel.
