House Passes Foreign Aid Bill with Current Levels to Israel

A record number of Republicans and Democrats in the House of Representatives joined forces this week to approve an $11.9 billion foreign aid bill that maintains Israel’s current $3 billion in assistance.

The measure, which passed 366 to 57 on Tuesday, also includes $2.1 billion for Egypt and $590 million to the republics of the former Soviet Union, including Russia.

The measure also allows the president to send an additional $75 million of aid to the Palestinian Authority if it complies with its commitments to Israel.

The measure, which is expected to pass the Senate in the coming weeks, also includes $30 million for F-16 fighter jets for Jordan.

Secretary of State Warren Christopher told King Hussein at a meeting Tuesday that a planned shipment of older model F-16s is in the final stages.

The State Department notified Congress of the proposed transfer as a formality. Israeli crews are expected to upgrade the planes for the Jordanian Royal Air Force.

The foreign aid measure also allocates $10 million in economic assistance for Jordan and $25 million to pay off the Hashemite kingdom’s remaining debts to the United States.

Hussein, in the United States to attend his son’s graduation, met with Christopher and Secretary of Defense William Perry on Tuesday.

A White House meeting with President Clinton to discuss the prospects for Middle East peace in he wake of the Israeli elections is scheduled for Thursday.

Although the foreign aid bill maintains current aid levels to the Middle East, many activists are uncomfortable that Israel and Egypt combined amount to more than 45 percent of the total U.S. aid package.

The bill, which is $450 million less than the current aid package, was received with mixed reaction from some in the Jewish community who had worked to prevent cuts in the package.

The measure provides no economic development aid to African states, which last year received about $740 million.

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, whose primary lobbying goal is to secure passage of the foreign aid bill, welcomed the broad support the measure received in spite of the budget-cutting atmosphere on Capitol Hill.

“The message this vote sends is that despite calls for a reduced U.S. leadership role in the global arena, the House of Representatives has rejected that notion,” an AIPAC spokesperson said, adding that the vote “is a reaffirmation of the commitment to Israel of the U.S. House” in the wake of the Israeli election.

The bill includes many pro-Israel provisions, including early disbursal procedures that guarantee that the Jewish state receives its money before the end of October.

Israel would also receive $80 million for refugee resettlement and $50 million for anti-terrorism equipment delivered after a spate of terror attacks rocked the Jewish state earlier this year.

The Senate is expected to add “earmarks” for the aid to Israel and Egypt to mandate the president send the amount approved by Congress.

Otherwise, the White House could shuffle funds to other countries.

Lawmakesrs hammered out a compromise to avoid a feud between pro-life and pro- choice members of Congress. The feud held up the fiscal year ’96 bill for more than four months.

Under the measure passed this week, overseas population control programs receiving U.S. aid can only spend taxpayer dollars on abortions in cases of rape, incest or when the life of the mother is in danger.

President Clinton, who had requested an additional $1 billion in the foreign aid package, is expected to sign the bill if it clears the Senate with no major changes.