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by Dion J. Pierre
Streaks of light are seen from Ashkelon as Israel’s Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepts rockets launched from the Gaza Strip towards Israel, May 15, 2021. Photo: REUTERS/Amir Cohen
Top US Jewish groups applauded the Senate’s approval on Thursday of a $1.5 trillion omnibus spending bill that included an injection of funding for synagogue security and a long-contested $1 billion appropriation for Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system.
“This timely legislation reinforces the unwavering support in Congress for Israel’s security and that of the American Jewish community, helps strengthen the critical US-Israel relationship, and will save countless lives around the world,” the leaders of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations said on Friday.
Funding for the Iron Dome became a point of contention in the House of Representatives in October, when several progressive Democrats attempted to eliminate it from the budget. Later, after its passage in the House as a standalone measure with broad bipartisan support, Kentucky Republican Senator Rand Paul repeatedly blocked it from a Senate vote.
“The Iron Dome missile defense system intercepted 90% of the over 4,000 rockets launched at Israel by the Hamas terrorist regime last May,” noted Conference Chair Dianne Lob, CEO William Daroff, and Vice Chair Malcolm Hoenlein. “It is a key line of defense for the people of Israel — Jews, Muslims, and Christians — and an indispensable tool to maintain a qualitative military edge over militant Hamas and Hezbollah terrorists.”
The spending bill also included $250 million in funds to protect houses of worship — which took on new urgency after the January assault on a Colleyville, Texas synagogue — as well as budget items for Holocaust education, hate crime prevention and research on domestic extremism.
The spending package was approved by the House of Representatives on Wednesday.
Also commending the news, Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said on Twitter the money appropriated for the Iron Dome is “additional proof of the commitment of the US, Congress, & the Biden administration to the security & welfare of Israel and the special relations between our two countries.”
The bill, which President Joe Biden expected to quickly sign, also included $13.6 billion in aid to Ukraine.
