White House officials have reassured the Israeli government after the Congress pulled funding for the Iron Dome missile-defense system earlier this week.
The leader of the US House of Representatives Appropriations Committee introduced legislation on Wednesday to provide $1 billion to Israel to restock its system.
The funding would allow Washington to make good on President Joe Biden’s pledge earlier this year to replenish Israel’s Iron Dome system after Israeli forces used it against rocket attacks by Hamas movement in May.
The bill introduced by Representative Rosa DeLauro provides the fund needed to replace missile interceptors used during that conflict.
Democratic lawmakers on Tuesday removed $1 billion in military funding for Israel from legislation to fund the US government after objections from liberals in the House of Representatives.
The move was led by Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Pramila Jayapal and Ilhan Omar who voiced concerns about US-Israel policy and stressed the Dome is used as a weapon to protect the Israeli occupation.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said on Tuesday he would bring the Iron Dome bill to the House floor later this week.
US House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer stressed that the move was a “technical delay” related to discussions over the US debt.
In a phone call with Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid on Tuesday night, Hoyer said the defense funding would be approved at a later date.
The announcement was made amid pressure from pro-Israel Democratic Reps. Ted Deutch, Kathy Manning, Josh Gottheimer, Ritchie Torres, Brad Schneider and others who were livid over the decision to leave the funding for Israel’s defense off the spending bill.
