Aber Kawas Calls for Ending U.S. Military Aid to Israel

New York state senator-elect Aber Kawas called on November 9 for an end to U.S. military aid to Israel and for the money to be redirected toward community needs. In a statement on her own account, she argued that discussing cuts to the $3.8 billion annual package was insufficient and demanded a broader change in American policy. “This is a moral imperative, not just a question of fiscal savings,” Kawas said. She argued that voters had sent a message against subsidizing Israel’s wars and said public money should improve people’s lives. Kawas had announced her election victory on November 4, in a campaign graphic identifying her as a candidate for New York’s state Senate. The aid arrangement dates to a ten-year memorandum signed in 2016. In an October 1, 2018 statement marking its entry into force, the U.S. State Department put its total value at $38 billion. The agreement provides $3.3 billion annually in Foreign Military Financing and $500 million annually for cooperative missile-defense programs. The department’s 2018 statement described the package as support for Israel’s defense and its qualitative military edge. It said the funding would help Israel acquire advanced U.S. capabilities and counter regional threats, including Iran’s sponsorship of terrorist groups.