AIPAC Stays Silent On Trump’s Opposition To Israel Missile Defense Aid Boost
When President Obama threatened to veto extra monies for Israel’s missile defense system, the AIPAC lobby spoke up and denounced the move as a threat to the Jewish state’s security. Now, with the Trump White House opposing the same funding, the powerful organization has been silent.
Last year, the Obama administration threatened to veto a defense appropriations bill if it included an extra $455 million for Israel’s missile defense programs, which include the Iron Dome system. Eventually, the White House dropped its threat and the funding got passed, but only after AIPAC spoke up and faulted the administration’s move.
This year, the Trump administration is opposing another $558 million in increased spending on the Jewish state’s missile defense programs, with no word from AIPAC.
An unnamed AIPAC official defended the discrepancy to Haaretz as sensible given different situations from one administration to the next – Trump has not threatened to veto additional funds appropriated by Congress.
“The situations are entirely different,” the official told the newspaper. “There has been no veto threat issued by the administration over this provision this year.”
Contact Daniel J. Solomon at [email protected] or on Twitter @DanielJSolomon
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we need 500 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Our Goal: 500 gifts during our Passover Pledge Drive!