Foreign Aid Bill Clears Senate, and Pro-israel Forces Are Pleased

When the 1994 foreign aid appropriations bill cleared the Senate last week by a comfortable margin, one could almost hear a collective sigh of relief from the pro-Israel community.

The $12.5 billion bill, containing $3 billion in U.S. aid to Israel, passed late last Thursday afternoon by a vote of 88-10.

The bill also provides $2.5 billion in aid to Russia, $2.1 billion for Egypt, and $25 million for the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Pro-Israel activists had been concerned that with the political climate here more favorable to domestic than to foreign aid, Israel’s funding might be in danger.

But the bill retains the $1.8 billion in military aid and $1.2 billion in economic aid that Israel has been receiving from the United States since the mid-1980s. And Israel remains the largest recipient of U.S. foreign aid.

In the wake of the historic Israeli-Palestinian agreement signed Sept. 13 at the White House, the bill modifies some restrictions on U.S. financial dealings with the Palestine Liberation Organization.

There had been restrictions on U.S. contributions to international organizations that fund the PLO, but the Senate voted to waive some of these restrictions temporarily provided the PLO abides by its recent commitment to recognize Israel and renounce violence.

In addition, the bill includes language prohibiting assistance to terrorist countries, and it criticizes the Arab economic boycott against Israel.

The American-Israel Public Affairs Committee, the most powerful pro-Israel lobbying group, was pleased by the outcome of the vote.

“This most supportive vote in recent history signals a commitment to maintaining Israel’s security and seeing the peace process through these difficult waters,” an AIPAC spokesperson said Friday.

Last year’s vote was 87-12.

The bill now heads for a conference committee with the House of Representatives, which passed its foreign aid legislation in June.