An earth-shattering event happened in Congress: House Democrats removed $1 billion for Israel’s Iron Dome defense system from an emergency funding bill and later put it back in a different bill.
This is not a “right-left” issue and it’s not even an Israeli-Palestinian issue. It’s much deeper and more important than that.
The Iron Dome is an amazing technology that almost miraculously knocks attack rockets right out of the sky. It saves lives on both sides and prevents deadly military escalations. But it’s very expensive to operate, with each interceptor missile costing about $50,000.
Last May, Iranian backed US designated terror groups in Gaza launched nearly 4,500 rockets at Israel. Hundreds of those terror rockets fell short in Gaza, killing Palestinian people, in the same way that ISIS and Bashar Assad often kill Syrians. Israelis and Palestinians are both victims of terror groups. Iron Dome is everyone’s best protection.
The US presented a bill that included funds to help Israel replenish its supplies for this system, and to help keep everyone safe. A few extreme lawmakers altered the bill to remove this important aid, and they succeeded. But then almost every Democrat and Republican in Congress voted to reinstate the funding in a separate bill: the vote was 420-9.
So why would 9 members of Congress vote against a defensive system that weakens terrorists and protects ordinary civilians?
Because for those extreme politicians it’s not about saving lives, it’s about narrative.
HonestReporting CEO Daniel Pomerantz explains that this was not an isolated event, rather a trend that we ignore at our peril.
