Earlier this month, the U.S. House of Representatives quietly passed a bill that critics insist effectively guarantees unlimited military aid to the government of Israel. HR 4133, dubbed the “United States-Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act of 2012,” makes it “the policy of the United States to help Israel preserve its qualitative military edge” and “to provide Israel the military capabilities necessary to deter and defend itself by itself against any threats.”
The bill passed by a vote of 411-2 with 9 members voting “present.” The two “No” votes were cast by Texas Congressman and Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul and Congressman John Dingell (D-MI), former Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the longest currently serving member of Congress.
Mr. Paul assailed the bill for being “one-sided” and “counter-productive” and argued that it weakened the U.S.’s claims of being an honest broker seeking peace in the Middle East. He also took issue with the bill’s statement that U.S. policy should be to defend “the security of Israel as a Jewish state.”
“According to our Constitution,” argued Mr. Paul, “the policy of the United States government should be to protect the security of the United States, not to guarantee the religious, ethnic, or cultural composition of a foreign country.”
Philip Giraldi, the former CIA counter-terrorism analyst, slammed the secretive bill for “provid[ing] Israel with a blank check drawn on the U.S. taxpayer” and suggested that the true intent was to support Israel’s membership in NATO. “If Israel becomes part of NATO,” he said, “the U.S. and other members will be obligated to come to the aid of a nation that is expanding its borders and is currently engaged in hostilities with three of its neighbors.”
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