Democratic leaders in the US Congress are seeking to clamp down on a growing movement in their ranks to restrict arms sales and put conditions on military aid to Israel, which once had unconditional bipartisan support.
The pro-Israel old guard in the House of Representatives has started to lose traction as a new generation of Democrats willing to criticise the close US ally rises through the ranks and vocally pro-Palestinian members continue to win elections.
The fractures were on display this week as the pro-Palestinian faction tried to block President Joe Biden’s $735 million sale of precision-guided munitions to Israel.
Israel is in the middle of a deadly aerial campaign in the Gaza Strip, in response to a barrage of Hamas rocket attacks.
The violence has killed at least 212 Palestinians, including 61 children, and 10 people in Israel, including one child.
A group of 10 pro-Palestinian Democrats introduced legislation on Wednesday to block the arms sale after Gregory Meeks of New York, the House foreign affairs committee chairman, ultimately declined to ask the Biden administration to halt the sale.
The legislation was introduced by left-wing firebrand Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, who defeated the House’s number three Democrat and staunch Israel defender Joseph Crowley in 2018.
“For decades, the US has sold billions of dollars in weaponry to Israel without ever requiring them to respect basic Palestinian rights,” Ms Ocasio-Cortez said when introducing the bill.
“In so doing, we have directly contributed to the death, displacement and disenfranchisement of millions.”
“At a time when so many, including President Biden, support a ceasefire, we should not be sending ‘direct attack’ weaponry to Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu to prolong this violence.”
The Biden administration first notified Congress of the $735m arms sale on May 5, but The Washington Post reported on Monday that Mr Meeks had failed to promptly inform members of the foreign affairs committee, who learnt about it last weekend.
After backlash on the committee, initial reports on Monday indicated that Mr Meeks would use his authority to ask the Biden administration to halt the sale.
But Steny Hoyer, the House’s number two Democrat, said on Tuesday that Mr Meeks had backed off his decision to place a hold on the sale.
Mr Hoyer that same day blamed Hamas for civilian casualties in Gaza and Israel, while saying that placing conditions on aid to Israel “would only embolden Hamas and encourage it to continue its disregard for innocent life and destabilising actions".
Mr Meeks later denied that he ever intended to halt the arms sale after intense criticism from Republicans.
Instead, he said that the Biden administration would brief Congress on the arms sale by the end of the week.
"I never said I was going to hold it," Mr Meeks told The National. "I wanted to make sure we have open space for dialogue.
“It’s not about what’s taking place in the Middle East right now, because these weapons are going to be delivered a year from now, [when] they will probably receive them.”
Mr Meeks assumed leadership of the foreign affairs committee after the former chairman, Eliot Engel of New York, lost his re-election bid to Jamaal Bowman.
During the race, Mr Engel faced heavy criticism for his history of unconditional support for Israel. Mr Bowman is now one of the co-sponsors of Ms Ocasio-Cortez’s bill to halt the Israel arms sale.
But she and her allies would need Mr Meeks’s support to force the House to vote on their bill.
The 15-day deadline to force such a vote expires on Thursday and pro-Israel Democrats would probably join forces with Republicans to kill any such legislation, effectively making the bill a symbolic objection to the sale in the face of opposition from Democratic leadership.
"This was sort of slid through without a lot of attention or notice," Pramila Jayapal, another co-sponsor on the bill, told The National.
“Given the situation today and the fire keg that is there in the Middle East, this is the wrong time to be approving military sales.
“It doesn’t mean it can never happen, but I think this is not the time to be doing it because I think we really have to focus on the ceasefire. It felt important to send that message.”
Pro-Palestinian advocates may still have other cards to play in Congress.
Betty McCollum of Minnesota, another co-sponsor of the Ocasio-Cortez bill, now chairs the powerful defence spending panel.
Ms McCollum has introduced her own legislation that would put conditions on US military aid to pressure Israel into avoiding forcible displacement of Palestinians, annexing Palestinian territory or detaining Palestinian minors.
At least one advocacy group backing her bill has suggested that she could use her new position in leadership to attach similar restrictions on aid to Israel in the annual defence spending bill.
“While a vote on [Ms McCollum’s] bill may be unlikely given the political dynamics in the House right now, it’d be wonderful if she got a hearing on the bill, attached a version of it to the must-pass [defence spending bill] and found someone to introduce a Senate companion,” said Hassan El-Tayyab, legislative manager for Middle East policy at the Friends Committee on National Legislation.
The defence spending panel regularly appropriates $500m a year to fund Israeli missile defence programmes.
But most of the military aid to Israel comes in the form of $3.3 billion in yearly financing from the foreign aid spending panel, of which Barbara Lee of California is now chairwoman.
While Ms Lee has yet to comment on the arms sale, she has criticised Israel’s “unjust attempts to forcibly displace Palestinian families from their homes".
She took control of the panel this year after Nita Lowey of New York, the former chairwoman and another stalwart Israel defender, retired.
Despite their new potential allies in leadership, pro-Palestinian advocates in Congress still face an uphill battle with the Democrats’ top brass.
Mr Meeks, for instance, objected to Ms McCollum’s efforts to place conditions on Israeli military aid, saying it would impinge on the preliminary agreement under former president Barack Obama.
The 10-year agreement stipulates that the US will provide Israel with $3.8bn in military aid a year.
"I don't think that the [preliminary deal] that was agreed to should be conditioned," Mr Meeks told The National. "That's for Israel's defence.
“Thousands of rockets have been fired at Israel. Without them being intercepted, we would have an even larger tragedy taking place than we have right now.
"So, that’s clearly why I agree with the president on this, that Israel has the right to defend itself.”
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THE APPRENTICE
Director: Ali Abbasi
Starring: Sebastian Stan, Maria Bakalova, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 3/5
MANDOOB
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Q&A with Dash Berlin
Welcome back. What was it like to return to RAK and to play for fans out here again?
It’s an amazing feeling to be back in the passionate UAE again. Seeing the fans having a great time that is what it’s all about.
You're currently touring the globe as part of your Legends of the Feels Tour. How important is it to you to include the Middle East in the schedule?
The tour is doing really well and is extensive and intensive at the same time travelling all over the globe. My Middle Eastern fans are very dear to me, it’s good to be back.
You mix tracks that people know and love, but you also have a visually impressive set too (graphics etc). Is that the secret recipe to Dash Berlin's live gigs?
People enjoying the combination of the music and visuals are the key factor in the success of the Legends Of The Feel tour 2018.
Have you had some time to explore Ras al Khaimah too? If so, what have you been up to?
Coming fresh out of Las Vegas where I continue my 7th annual year DJ residency at Marquee, I decided it was a perfect moment to catch some sun rays and enjoy the warm hospitality of Bab Al Bahr.
MATCH INFO
Chelsea 4 (Mount 18',Werner 44', Hudson-Odoi 49', Havertz 85')
Morecambe 0
Maestro
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More from Neighbourhood Watch:
if you go
Getting there
Etihad (Etihad.com), Emirates (emirates.com) and Air France (www.airfrance.com) fly to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport, from Abu Dhabi and Dubai respectively. Return flights cost from around Dh3,785. It takes about 40 minutes to get from Paris to Compiègne by train, with return tickets costing €19. The Glade of the Armistice is 6.6km east of the railway station.
Staying there
On a handsome, tree-lined street near the Chateau’s park, La Parenthèse du Rond Royal (laparenthesedurondroyal.com) offers spacious b&b accommodation with thoughtful design touches. Lots of natural woods, old fashioned travelling trunks as decoration and multi-nozzle showers are part of the look, while there are free bikes for those who want to cycle to the glade. Prices start at €120 a night.
More information: musee-armistice-14-18.fr ; compiegne-tourisme.fr; uk.france.fr
Super Saturday results
4pm: Mahab Al Shimaal Group 3 | US$350,000 | (Dirt) | 1,200m
Winner: Drafted, Pat Dobbs (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer).
4.35pm: Al Bastakiya Listed | $300,000 | (D) | 1,900m
Winner: Divine Image, Brett Doyle, Charlie Appleby.
5.10pm: Nad Al Sheba Turf Group 3 | $350,000 | (Turf) | 1,200m
Winner: Blue Point, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.
5.45pm: Burj Nahaar Group 3 | $350,000 | (D) | 1,600m
Winner: Muntazah, Jim Crowley, Doug Watson.
6.20pm: Dubai City of Gold Group 2 | $300,000 | (T) | 2,410m
Winner: Old Persian, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.
6.55pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3 Group 1 | $600,000 | (D) | 2,000m
Winner: Capezzano, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer.
7.30pm: Jebel Hatta Group 1 | $400,000 | (T) | 1,800m
Winner: Dream Castle, Christophe Soumillon, Saeed bin Suroor.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
