House Democrats voted against a measure on Thursday that would have provided Israel, America’s top ally in the Middle East, with funding for replenishing its Iron Dome missiles after it repeatedly had to use the system over the last 10 days to stave off incoming terrorist rocket attacks from inside Gaza.
“In a vote of 218-209, Democrats rejected a security funding amendment offered by Rep. Tony Gonzales (R., Texas),” the Free Beacon reported. “The measure would have paved the way for Israel to receive a tranche of emergency dollars specifically for missile defense, which has proven critical as Iranian-backed terror groups Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad target Israeli citizens.”
The measure came after House Democrats blocked a push by Republicans to consider legislation that would lodge sanctions against Hamas, which is a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), amid the recent terrorist attacks that they have launched against Israel.
“Democrats blocked a bid to bring the Palestinian International Terrorism Support Prevention Act up for consideration in a 217-209 vote along party lines,” Fox News reported earlier this week. “The bill, introduced by Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., would impose sanctions on foreign entities known to have provided financial assistance to Hamas, among other measures.”
Late on Thursday afternoon, President Joe Biden announced that Israel and Hamas had reached a ceasefire, that he believed that Israel had a right to defend itself from terrorist attacks and that his administration would help replenish Israel’s Iron Dome missiles, which Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) had been aggressively pushing over the past week.
“I assured him of my full support to replenish Israel’s Iron Dome system to ensure its defenses and security in the future,” Biden said of his talk with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“We will do this in full partnership with the Palestinian Authority, not Hamas, the PA, in a manner that does not permit Hamas to restock its military arsenal,” Biden said. “The U.S. fully supports Israel’s right to protect itself against indiscriminate rocket attacks from Hamas and other Gaza terror groups that have taken the lives of innocent civilians in Israel.”
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) released the following statement about the terrorist attacks that Israel has been subjected to over the last 10 days:
Since the beginning of operation “Guardian of the Walls,” approximately 4340 rockets have been fired from the Gaza Strip at Israeli territory, of which approximately 640 failed launches fell in the Gaza Strip. The Iron Dome Air Defense System has an intercept rate of approximately 90%.
This article has been expanded after publication to include additional information.
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