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Thursday, July 12, 2007

Are Cracks Developing in the Pro-Israel Block in Congress?

This story refers to something that looks to me like a tiny, tiny possibility of "normalizing" the "special" relationship Congress has with Israel. The Dems are definitely going to proceed cautiously before making any changes, though. Patrick Leahy seems to be showing the most interest in this issue. Read whole article here: http://www.astandforjustice.org/2007/07/07-10-04.htm

"In the Senate, all eyes are focused on Leahy. According to observers, Leahy last week attempted to introduce a 0.1 percent levy on defense grants that would be spent monitoring how the allocations were spent.

"The concern: Making certain that the United States does not end up funding human rights abuses, a cause Democrats, particularly Leahy, have favored since the Iran-Contra scandals of the 1980s.

"The problem: Even 0.1 percent amounts to a considerable chunk - $2.4 million - of the $2.4 billion Israel receives in defense cash from the United States.

"The outcome: Israel, Egypt and Colombia were exempted from the across-the-board levy. Pro-Israel lobbyists made sure committee members knew that oversight was already written into Israel funding, suggesting that any additional spending on monitoring would be gratuitous.
Democrats involved in the back-and-forth said Leahy was receptive to exempting Israel from the levy and other changes that strengthened Israel's bid, and that the exchanges were always amicable.

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