Washington, DC – Ahead of the likely vote on the amendment offered by Representative Massie to the National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami issued the following statement:
“J Street opposes Rep. Massie’s amendment on Foreign Military Financing (FMF) for Israel. It is poorly drafted, overly broad and being used by Republican leadership to divide Democrats rather than advance a serious debate about US policy.
We support Leader Jeffries’ decision to oppose the amendment while not whipping against it. We also recognize that, for many Democrats, this is one of the few opportunities to cast a recorded vote expressing opposition to the way American military assistance and American-supplied weapons have been used by the Israeli government in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon and elsewhere.
Members may reasonably conclude that voting no, present or yes is the best way to reflect those competing concerns. We support those members who vote yes to signal their opposition to unconditional FMF and support for stronger oversight of how US security assistance is used. We likewise support members who vote no or present while making clear their opposition to the Netanyahu government’s conduct and their commitment to a different US policy.
What unites the overwhelming majority of Democrats is far more significant than this procedural vote: support for the security and rights of both Israelis and Palestinians; opposition to settlement expansion, occupation and the misuse of American weapons; and a commitment to a diplomatic resolution that delivers freedom, security and self-determination for both peoples. We hope, as Leader Jeffries articulated, that members on all sides of this vote will make those shared principles clear.”