US congresswoman introduces bill to restrict Israeli use of US funds

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News websites
6 May 15:22

McCollum says not a single dollar provided to "Israel" should go toward actions that "violate international law and cause harm.”

US Congresswoman Betty McCollum representing the state of Minnesota in an undated photo in the US (AFP)

Democratic US Congresswoman Betty McCollum has renewed her attempt at a bill to stop aid from the US to "Israel" since it contributes to crimes against the Palestinians, especially military activities that facilitate “further unilateral annexation” of the occupied West Bank.

The legislation comes in the wake of five bloody months of killings, demolitions, forced expulsions, and settlement expansion in Palestine committed by the Israeli army and Israeli settlers, with more than 110 Palestinian lives lost, including 20 children and two women.

In her statement, McCollum said, “Not $1 of US aid should be used to commit human rights violations, demolish families’ homes, or permanently annex Palestinian lands,” adding, while reiterating support to Israeli security, that those dollars should not go toward "actions that violate international law and cause harm.”

16 Democrats co-sponsored the bill, such as Virginia Representative Don Beyer; Congressional Progressive Caucus chair Pramila Jayapal; Palestinian American Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib; and prominent progressives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Cori Bush, Ilhan Omar, and Ayanna Pressley.

The bill stated, “Israel’s drive to perpetuate its control over the occupied West Bank results in other serious violations of international law, including the unlawful demolition of Palestinian homes and the forcible transfer of Palestinian civilians."

A year ago, US Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib introduced a resolution in the US House of Representatives, which was also co-sponsored by McCollum, to recognize the Palestinian Nakba. The resolution calls on the US government to acknowledge the forcible and mass expulsion of Palestinians in 1948 by "Israel", based on the US role in supporting the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).

I’ve officially reintroduced the Defending Palestinian Children and Families Living Under Israeli Military Occupation Act—because not $1 of U.S. aid should be used to commit human rights violations.

Read my full statement here: https://t.co/7vUo1hDpQp pic.twitter.com/UvIYFH2ohA
— Rep. Betty McCollum (@BettyMcCollum04) May 5, 2023

Back in 2021, McCollum relayed when she introduced the bill that “the dehumanization of the Palestinian people has been such an effective narrative that 75 percent of Congress wants absolutely no restriction on US military aid to Israel, effectively supporting the systemic repression of Palestinian society."

Last month in April, Senator Bernie Sanders, alongside some of the co-sponsors of McCollum’s measure and 14 other legislators, urged US President Joe Biden to look into whether weapons by the US were tools to violate the rights of Palestinians.

It is noteworthy that the US has long been defending and supporting "Israel", its closest ally, by providing the occupying entity with military aid and training as well as diplomatic cover to continuously commit crimes against Palestinians.

"Israel" receives at least $3.8 billion in US aid annually.

Most importantly, the US allocates billions of dollars to repair and replenish the Israeli occupation's Iron Dome air security system.