Despite the Administration’s appeal for urgency in enacting its requested $2.2 billion emergency aid legislation for Israel the Senate Foreign Relations Committee has not yet scheduled a vote on the measure and probably will not act on it until after the scheduled opening of the Mideast peace conference in Geneva. All other Congressional bodies concerned with the bill have acted speedily. The full Senate is scheduled to vote tomorrow on the measure adopted by its appropriations committee.
The House has approved both the appropriation and authorization measures essential for the legislation. The three committees that have acted have all approved the total of $2.2 billion and also that at least $1 billion should go to Israel as a credit. The remainder of the funding may be used by the President either in grant or credit form or both. The language for that is not precisely alike in the measures and they will need to be harmonized in Senate-House conferences.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
