Majority of US House members back no conditional aid to Israel

The letter was signed by 331 members of the House of Representatives and was split just about evenly between Republicans and Democrats.

The support from the progressives is notable as calls from the left to condition aid to Israel increase and a number of left-wing Democrats have introduced a bill that would require increased oversight of how Israel spends the $3.8 billion it receives annually.

AIPAC, the powerhouse pro-Israel lobby, strongly backed the letter.

The letter employs a frame long favored by AIPAC — casting assistance to Israel as inextricable from U.S. foreign assistance, and describing foreign aid as critical to U.S. foreign policy.

“Just as foreign assistance is an investment in advancing our values and furthering our global interests, security aid to Israel is a specific investment in the peace and prosperity of the entire Middle East,” says the letter, which was initiated by Rep. Ted Deutch, D-Fla., the chairman of the House Middle East subcommittee, and Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, the top Republican on the Foreign Affairs Committee. Deutch is Jewish.

The bill on increased oversight would restrict Israel from using U.S. money to incarcerate Palestinian minors, destroy Palestinian homes or annex parts of the West Bank. None of the 16 Democrats who sponsored the bill signed the letter.