House Passes $26 Billion Aid Package for Israel and Gaza

Speaker Mike Johnson talked to the news media on Saturday after the House voted to pass the foreign aid bills for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.

The House voted resoundingly on Saturday to approve billions of dollars in aid for Israel as part of a larger package that would also fund Ukraine and Taiwan.

In four back-to-back votes, overwhelming bipartisan coalitions of lawmakers approved the new rounds of funding for the three U.S. allies.

The legislation allocates $26 billion for Israel and for humanitarian aid for civilians in conflict zones, including Gaza; $60 billion for Kyiv; and $8 billion for the Indo-Pacific region.

The House approved assistance to Israel by a vote of 366 to 58. Representative Rashida Tlaib, Democrat of Michigan and a vocal supporter of the Palestinian cause, voted “present.”

Thirty-seven liberal Democrats opposed the aid package for Israel because the legislation placed no conditions on how Israel could use American aid, even though there have been thousands of civilian casualties and Gaza faces the risk of famine.

That was a relatively small sliver of opposition given that left-wing lawmakers had pressed their colleagues to vote “no” on the bill to send a message to President Biden about the depth of anger within his political coalition over his backing for Israel’s tactics in the war.

“Sending more weapons to the Netanyahu government will make the U.S. even more responsible for atrocities and the horrific humanitarian crisis in Gaza, which is now in a season of famine,” said Representative Jonathan L. Jackson, Democrat of Illinois, speaking of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel. “The United States Congress must be the moral compass. I continue to call for the release of all prisoners and hostages. I continue to pray and work for peace, security and stability.”

Mr. Netanyahu welcomed the news that the bill had passed in the House, saying it was “much appreciated” and a demonstration of “bipartisan support for Israel.”

Hamas condemned it, saying in a statement on Sunday that the aid allocation was “a confirmation of the official American complicity and partnership” in what the group described as Israeli war crimes in Gaza.

The Senate is expected to pass the legislation as early as Tuesday and send it to Mr. Biden’s desk, capping a tortured journey through Congress.

Isabel Kershner contributed reporting.