US measure to deepen Israeli military cooperation faces bipartisan pushback | War Stories

Two lawmakers in the United States Congress are pushing to remove a section in the upcoming budget that would strengthen cooperation between the US military and Israel.

Their efforts come as they protest against the latest draft of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the law that sets the budget for the US military.

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It also includes a section, called Section 224, that would strengthen cooperation between the two militaries by appointing a “senior sponsor” to oversee technical development and cooperation.

On Sunday, Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna said he would use his seat on the House Armed Services Committee to draft an amendment to remove Section 224 from the bill.

A fellow Republican Thomas Massie he also warned that, if the bill is approved by the committee, he will try to challenge it in the House of Representatives. He framed the issue as a question of US independence from foreign governments.

“We are an independent country,” Massie wrote on the X channel.

Khanna responded to Massie’s actions, promising to stand with Kentucky Republicans against Section 224. He also criticized Republican President Donald Trump for attacking Massie, which led to first defeat at the beginning of this month.

“Trump will not kill the Massie/Khanna alliance no matter how much he posts on Social Truth,” Khanna wrote.

Massie, a civil rights activist, and Khanna, a progressive, form an unlikely alliance to advance anti-war strategies and review US-Israel policy. They also led a campaign to release government files on deceased sex offenders Jeffrey Epstein.

It is not uncommon for the annual US military budget to be filled with Israeli tactics.

But the technical integration, which comes at a time of growing doubt over the US’s unconditional support for Israel, sparked questions and protests last week.

Section 224 “would require the Secretary of Defense to appoint a director general who oversees joint operations between the United States and Israel,” the budget states.

The senior associate will be responsible for managing a wide range of activities, “including bilateral technical research, development, testing, evaluation, integration, and industrial cooperation”.

Critics have expressed concern that the push could make US military aid to Israel less transparent, disguising it as a partnership rather than a spending spree.

The strategy also risks alienating the U.S. military from its Israeli partner in technology at a time when Americans are in a hurry. turning to Israelaccording to recent public opinion polls.

For example, survey this month from The New York Times and Siena College found that 57 percent of US voters oppose providing Israel with additional economic and military aid.

Separately, 62 percent said they disapprove of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel’s war on Gaza, which began in 2023, has killed many people 75,000 peoplecausing widespread criticism.

The US has been criticized for its role in supporting Israel in the war, as well as its campaign of destruction in Lebanon. The role of technology has also come under scrutiny, especially as Israel relies heavily on artificial intelligence (AI) to monitor, identify and attack targets.

But lawmakers in the US Congress consider questioning the US-Israeli relationship to be a third-party political strategy. Congressman Derrick Van Orden criticized Massie on Sunday for speaking out against Section 224, accusing his Republican colleague of being anti-Semitic.

“This defense agreement will allow the US to use advanced Israeli technologies,” Van Orden said.

Massie responded by pointing to an incident in 2024 where Israel hijacked pagers carrying civilians and Hezbollah soldiers to detonate them, killing and injuring hundreds of people, including children.

“Does this agreement entitle us to Israel’s top pagers?” Massie asked Van Orden in a social media post.

This year’s $1.15 trillion NDAA contains several other proposals to deepen US aid to Israel. The entire section is entitled, “Matters relating to Israel”.

It includes ordering cooperation with the Israeli military on anti-tunnel and anti-drone.