Zionist Organization of American (ZOA) National President Morton Klein responded on Thursday to the motion which was brought forward in the US House of Representatives seeking to cut US military aid to Israel.

The measure, initiated by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) was voted down by an overwhelming majority of 313-104, but 103 Democrats joined Massie in supporting the resolution. No Republicans voted in favor.

“ZOA is outraged by the votes of Rep. Thomas Massie and 103 Democratic Congressmembers to eliminate all $3.3 billion in US military assistance to Israel while ignoring the $2 billion in US aid to the Islamic country of Egypt or the $1.5 billion in U.S. aid to the Islamic country of Jordan, even though these undemocratic countries vote against US interests at the United Nations and have terrible human rights records," Klein said.

He added, “$2.5 billion of the aid Israel receives from the US is due to Israel, based on the 1978 Sinai Accords between Israel, Egypt and the US. The US induced Israel to give up all of Sinai, the Alma oil fields and four Sinai oil wells that Israel had developed at enormous cost, by the US agreeing to pay Israel $2.5 billion per year of lost oil revenue. Incidentally, according to AI calculations, the oil reserves Israel was induced by the US to give up in the Alma oil fields would be worth a staggering $433.8 billion today."

“Further, the $3.3 billion in aid for 2027 is included in the ten-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for fiscal years 2018 through 2027, signed by the Jewish State of Israel and President Obama in 2016; and all of that aid must be spent in the US, producing well-paid American jobs," continued Klein.

“The Jewish State of Israel and the US are working out a future mechanism for defense cooperation starting in FY 2028. It is envisioned that joint projects will be funded by each country, and that there will be a gradual tapering off of the current military assistance model in the future."

Klein further stated, “US assistance to other countries, for example Canada and the UK, uses a mechanism that is different from aid to Israel, Jordan, Egypt and Lebanon. US aid to such other countries is embedded in defense spending bills, including the monies that are spent for the defense of Korea and NATO, so no equivalent vote is ever held on those funds."

Criticizing lawmakers from the Democratic party who backed the measure, the ZOA President said, “Democrats - including some who voted against eliminating FY 2027 aid to Israel - said they wanted to send a message to Israel that Prime Minister Netanyahu should not be allowed to continue to engage in war. This is outrageous, because the wars were started by and continue to be pursued by the Iranian regime and its proxies, including Hezbollah, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. If there were no tens of thousands of rockets fired at Israel, no terrorist massacres of innocent Jews, no kidnappings, and no continuing threat to Israel’s existence, there would be no war."

Concluding his statement, Klein said, “The 104 votes for eliminating FY 2027 assistance betray the security of the United States and of the Jewish State."