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Rep. Betty McCollum introduces bill that would block US funding from being used to annex Palestinian land

The Israeli Annexation Non-Recognition Act is endorsed by over 30 progressive organizations and is cosponsored by six other Democratic House members: Reps. Rashida Tlaib, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley, Ilhan Omar, Mark Pocan, and Andre Carson.

Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN) has introduced legislation that condemns the Israeli government’s proposed annexation of the West Bank and blocks any U.S. aid that would potentially be used to fund it.

The Israeli Annexation Non-Recognition Act is endorsed by over 30 progressive organizations and is cosponsored by six other Democratic House members: Reps. Rashida Tlaib (MI), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY), Ayanna Pressley (MA), Ilhan Omar (MN), Mark Pocan (WI), and Andre Carson (IN).

“Annexation . . . will fuel instability, injustice, and an abhorrent system of apartheid.

Rep. Betty McCollum

“I want Palestinians and Israelis to have their human rights respected, their right to self-determination realized, and a future with peace, security, equality, and justice,” said McCollum in a statement,  “Annexation is antithetical to these goals and will fuel instability, injustice, and an abhorrent system of apartheid. This is an intolerable outcome for Palestinians, Israelis, and Americans. I reject Israeli annexation. I condemn annexation. And I will work to ensure the U.S. does not support, defend, or legitimize any plan to illegally annex Palestinian lands.”

“For decades, Palestinians, American Jews and allies have demanded that Congress protect Palestinians from Israel’s systemic abuses – and now progressive leaders are stepping up. This legislation ensures that the U.S. government will reject and never recognize any illegal annexation of Palestinian land by Israel. It’s a critical step toward justice and accountability,” said JVP Action Executive Director Stefanie Fox.

Last month, The Democratic Party’s platform committee voted down an amendment that would have added the word “occupation” to the platform and called for the conditioning of military aid to Israel. Eight Palestinian-American delegates sent a letter to the committee, expressing their frustration with the final version of the platform. “Expressing unwavering support for a country that continues to thumb its nose at international law while it steals Palestinian land, entrenches apartheid, and denies our families’ basic human rights is unacceptable. It is unacceptable to us; it is unacceptable to a growing majority of the Democratic Party; and it should be unacceptable to every American who aims for true freedom, justice, human rights, and democracy,” it read.

According to a report from Foreign Policy, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden intervened personally to make sure the word “occupation” was not included. Although Biden says he’s opposed to annexation, he is also against conditioning aid to Israel. “Look, I have been on record from very early on opposed to settlements, and I think it’s a mistake. And Netanyahu knows my position. But the idea that we would draw military assistance from Israel, on the condition that they change a specific policy, I find it to be absolutely outrageous,” he told a reporter on the campaign trail.

Last year, Rep. McCollum introduced H.R.2407, a historic bill that would prohibit Israel from using U.S. funds to detain and prosecute children.

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Unfortunately, chances of this being successful are slim to none. It is heartening to see at least some brave congresspeople try hard to give this some attention. Today Pelosi was asked by Ayman Mohyeldin if the aid to Israel should be conditioned, she did not answer that directly. However she did say she hopes the statement that the Israeli’s made about halting annexation is true, and that she wants a 2 state solution. They dare not cut the aid off.

As a side note, you often hear that Israel doesn’t need U.S. military aid. In theory, just based on the financials, that would seem to be correct, but in reality if the U.S. threatened to stop sending parts for their air force it would be a total freakout for them; we could end the occupation tomorrow if we had the political will.

https://www.afsc.org/resource/us-corporations-complicit-military-attacks-gaza

U.S. corporations complicit in military attacks on Gaza….

“We didn’t use the money you sent to fund annexation. We spent that on beer and crisps. We used the money we would have spent on beer and crisps to fund the annexation.”

I don’t understand this bill. Israel gets money from many sources. It spends money on many projects. It’s patently meaningless to say that it could not use particular $ for a particular purpose, if the amount of money remains the same.

“I don’t understand this bill”

Tom Suarez~ neither do I. WTH??? While I very much appreciate McCollum’s couple of efforts wrt jailed Palestinian children and anti- annexation, it all rings limp to me. What about these victims’ families who are/were shot dead/ maimed/ jailed and tortured mothers and fathers and grands? What about the Holocaust survivors that they use and abandon to begging for help from the evangelicals/ and others all over the planet? BDS is the only way to go. And I mean boycott, divestment, and Sanctions, like the ones slapped on other countries willy- nilly, ad nauseam. Israel is hardly an ally … never a ‘democracy’, but a violent Occupier that ignores International Law every. single. day. since the dream of the Zionists and the realization of same to. this. day. Sadly, it’s not unlike the US at all. Here’s something that I find important:

“US sees embarrassing UN defeat over Iran arms embargo proposal
Just one country joins US in vote, highlighting Washington’s isolation as it seeks more drastic action against Iran …”

Please go here: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/14/us-iran-un-arms-embargo-nuclear-deal