If Americans Knew – by Kathryn Shihadah
Back in January 2019, immediately after the swearing-in ceremony for the new Congress, advocacy for Israel began. On that first day, the Senate introduced a pro-Israel bill; the House introduced 3. By the end of 2019, lawmakers had presented over 50 pieces of legislation favoring Israel.
2020 pro-Israel bills have been arriving at a somewhat slower pace (as of this writing, the number stands at 18), but most of last year’s bills are still in circulation. At the end of this year, every bill that has not become law will die. The process starts over with the new Congress in January 2021.
Especially given this year’s massive financial disruption from COVID-19, Americans should be aware of our country’s lavish spending habits toward Israel – and not only because we need to be generally more frugal. Israel has a long, ugly record of human rights violations, the likes of which have been chronicled in detail by numerous human rights organizations.
Below is a description of pro-Israel bills that have been introduced in Congress in 2020 (grouped by subject), followed by a listing of bills that support justice for Palestinians (as of this writing, there is only one).
For the list of 50+ pro-Israel bills (and 2 that advocate for Palestinians) presented in 2019, please go here.
Read the rest here: https://israelpalestinenews.org/in-2020-congress-continues-its-focus-on-israel-legislation-exceptionalism/