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littlemissmartypants

(34,739 posts) Mon Jun 1, 2026, 03:09 AM 15 hrs ago

US Congress moves to deepen military ties with Israel: Why it matters

Source: AL JAZEERA

Lawmakers in the United States are quietly advancing a proposal that could deepen military ties between the US and Israel in unprecedented ways, at a time when public support for Israel among Americans is increasingly fractured.

Among the provisions included in the 2027 National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA) released this week is Section 224, the “United States-Israel Defence Technology Cooperation Initiative”.

The NDAA, which Congress passes annually to set military policy and authorise defence spending, will undergo further debate and amendments before becoming law. Some legislators have already signalled opposition, with Representative Thomas Massie saying he would seek to remove the provision if it reaches the House floor.

The measure remains at an early stage, but analysts say if passed, it would limit political oversight over the defence relationship

Read more: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/5/31/us-congress-moves-to-deepen-military-ties-with-israel-why-it-matters

Mark Hilborne, a senior lecturer, the School of Security Studies at King’s College London, told Al Jazeera the proposal goes well beyond the traditional foundations of the US-Israel defence relationship.

“While historically, the US-Israel defence relationship has included US military aid and weapons transfers, joint missile defence programmes such as Iron Dome, David’s Sling and Arrow, and intelligence and operational cooperation, the proposed agreement increases cooperation to include a wider set of emerging technologies,” he said.
...
Some analysts say such integration would move key aspects of the US-Israel relationship away from highly visible aid votes or commercial contracting, and into the less transparent world of defence procurement and industrial partnerships at a state-to-state level.

More wedding gift money for Don Jr and all those defense companies the family just established. Cha-ching! 💰
https://democraticunderground.com/100221273969

Published May 31st, 2026
Exact time unknown.

4 replies

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US Congress moves to deepen military ties with Israel: Why it matters (Original Post) littlemissmartypants 15 hrs ago OP

I think this is a mistake AZProgressive 15 hrs ago #1

It's a business deal with the family business in mind. littlemissmartypants 15 hrs ago #2

Absolutely right. And while I fully get and agree with your point, I also want to point out that it's more than just KPN 6 hrs ago #4

Even worse, this could be the Israeli backchannel to Russia -- a tool in both Putin's hand and Bibi's lostnfound 10 hrs ago #3

AZProgressive

(30,022 posts)

1. I think this is a mistake

Reply to littlemissmartypants (Original post)

Mon Jun 1, 2026, 03:24 AM

15 hrs ago

Despite what Israel says their military is not the most moral army in the world.

I prefer that the US military respect and follow international law which is something Israel clearly doesn't do. I would rather the US force their partners and allies to respect and follow international law rather than cooperate or help them violate it.

littlemissmartypants

(34,739 posts)

2. It's a business deal with the family business in mind.

Reply to AZProgressive (Reply #1)

Mon Jun 1, 2026, 03:32 AM

15 hrs ago

I agree it shouldn't fly, walk, or be written into law, but they're getting sneaky.

I suspect that we will see some desperate con artist moves happening sooner rather than later, especially if they start to feel the walls of defeat close in.

Walls that I hope are going to smack the lot of them upside their thieving heads.

KPN

(17,542 posts)

4. Absolutely right. And while I fully get and agree with your point, I also want to point out that it's more than just

Reply to AZProgressive (Reply #1)

Mon Jun 1, 2026, 12:17 PM

6 hrs ago

a "mistake".

What it is -- is ignoring the views and opinion of the electorate as a whole. It's a deliberate use of legislative back-channels; that is, the use of a "rider" attached to an annual departmental legislative authorization, as well as the deliberate use of vague language to obscure intent with the goal of avoiding public notice and vocal opposition.

What really galls me is that Section 224 was actually proposed jointly by the House Armed Services Committee's chairman, Mike Rogers, and senior Democrat committee member Adam Smith. Hell, who knows how many other committee Dems support it, and for that matter, how many other Dem congress members? Without the attention the goal of Section 224 deserves, most Americans who are or would be opposed will never even notice it.

... Is there tension between progressives and moderates in the Democratic Party? You bet ... and for damned good reason. This is not a
"mistake" and it's certainly not the only one of substance over the past 45+ years. Not even close.

lostnfound

(17,661 posts)

3. Even worse, this could be the Israeli backchannel to Russia -- a tool in both Putin's hand and Bibi's

Reply to littlemissmartypants (Original post)

Mon Jun 1, 2026, 08:52 AM

10 hrs ago

Israel has not sided with the west on Ukraine. Ties of Russia between Israel are deep — from fuel supply to the strong connection of Russian speakers in Israel

Netanyahu has to walk a line publicly but I doubt that he cares about anything but concentrating power.

Range of Russian-Israel relationship:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel%E2%80%93Russia_relations#:~:text=%5B1%5D%20Putin%20has%20had%20a,as%20Prime%20Minister%20of%20Israel.
Dwell on this for a moment:

In confidential emails from private intelligence firm Stratfor leaked by WikiLeaks in 2016, the Georgian government believed that during the 2008 Russo-Georgian War, Israel provided Russia with the data link codes for Georgia's drone fleet which Israel had sold them, allowing Russia to hack them and force crash them in exchange for Russian intelligence on the Tor-M1 missile systems it had sold Iran.

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