$500m to Israel in midst of Covid relief bill sparks ire

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[It’s sickening. Jan]

By James North and Philip Weiss
January 2, 2021

JARED KUSHNER (right) GLOATS: gets his name on plaza
at new US Embassy in Jerusalem—“Kushner Courtyard”

We regularly try to say it’s controversial that Israel receives nearly $4 billion in military aid from the United States every year. Well, when the Covid relief bill in the Congress began circulating today, many commentators including in the mainstream have jumped on the fact that the massive legislation is bundled alongside other appropriations that include $500 million in military aid to Israel.

The Israel funds are evidently routine portions of a foreign aid bill that was linked to the Covid relief funds, but Israel aid began trending on Twitter and many expressed shock over it.

“$600 for you, $500,000,000 to Israel,” Sven Henrich, a trader, writes.

A Democratic activist, Amanda Siebe, writes:

$500,000,000 could restore the at-home caregiver program that got cut under Trump and the GOP.
It could be used so schools have funds for distance learning.
It could be used to get the 32,000,000 uninsured people healthcare for 2021.
But nope. It’s going to Israel.

“$500,000,000 for Israel whilst the citizens of Flint still have poisoned water,” says another commenter.

Glenn Greenwald addresses the power of the Israel lobby: “Israel has universal health care while Americans — transferring yet more of your money to that foreign country — do not: they also have an excellent Lobby that wields more power than you do in the halls of Congress.”

Margaret Kimberley of Black Agenda Report noted reports that the actual Covid relief funds aren’t going to Israel.

So Israel didn’t get COVID money. They still got our money just the same. And yes it is $500 million. They couldn’t maintain their apartheid state without your cash and mine.

Another tweeter asks, Why are people so surprised that this money is going to Israel when Israel named a neighborhood after Trump in the occupied Golan?

The news earlier today —

The US Embassy courtyard in Jerusalem has been named in Jared Kushner’s honor. The US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman unveiled the plaque. Kushner was in attendance for the ceremony.

This caused Andrea Harrison to respond on twitter: “So is this why we are including $500 million of our stimulus package to Israel?

TRUMP : I’ve given you the Golan Heights as a special gift!
NETANYAHU : And I’ve named a neighborhood after you in the Golan in special thanks!

Source: https://www.darkmoon.me/2021/500m-to-israel-in-midst-of-covid-relief-bill-sparks-ire/