Senate Foreign Aid Bill Reaffirms U.S. Traditional Support for Israel

The Senate has adopted a foreign aid authorization bill for the fiscal year beginning October 1 that contains provisions reaffirming America’s traditional support for Israel.

The bill provides Israel with $785 million in economic security assistance and $1 billion in military aid. Egypt is provided with $735 million in economic aid; Jordan with $275 million military and economic support; and Syria with $90 million in economic aid. A movement is gathering in the House, which may take up the bill this week, to cut the overall foreign aid total and this may affect the allocations for various countries as well as international financial institutions like the World Bank.

Sen. Howard Baker (R. Tenn.), the Minority Leader, introduced two amendments to the bill, one relating to the entry of officials of proscribed organizations to the U.S. and the other to the Middle East negotiation process coupled with backing for Israel.

First, he offered an amendment eliminating the provision enacted last year known as the McGovern Amendment, that required the Secretary of State automatically to recommend approval of applications from any organization to enter the U.S. with the Attorney General alone having discretion to bar them on security grounds. The Baker Amendment that superseded McGovern’s provision was adopted by a 50-42 vote.

Baker’s second resolution was adopted without dissent. This “sense of the Congress” resolution specified among its provisions that the U.S. “should continue to promote direct negotiations between Israel and Egypt and to encourage other Arab states to enter into negotiation leading to peace treaties with Israel; and that the U.S. should be responsive to Israel’s economic needs and defense requirements, including the provision of additional advanced aircraft to maintain Israel’s defense capability, which is essential to peace.”