US Democrats urge debate on US-Israeli military ties
US-Israeli ties are potentially under threat as US Democrats have urged for a debate on US military aid to Israel, according to Middle East Eye via Reuters on July 9th.
Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen leads a group that wrote a letter saying, “As Senate Democrats, we should not be providing votes compelling [President Donald Trump] to deepen the US relationship with [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s] extremist government.”
Van Hollen’s calls to debate military aid came within days of Democratic Representative Greg Casar confirming plans to vote for an amendment to halt Israeli aid, introduced by Republican Representative Thomas Massie.
Cesar expressed concerns about complicity in war crimes amid ongoing arms sales to Israel amid the genocidal war on Gaza and wars on Iran and Lebanon.
The letter was also reported within a day of US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth’s planned July 8th visit to Israel.
Hegseth is a staunch Zionist who expressed his support for the US-Israeli war on Iran in March, the same month that the State Department approved a $151.8 million munitions sale to Israel.
The US is Israel’s largest arms supplier, accounting for 53% of Israel’s total conventional arms imports since 2023; Germany covers the remaining 47%.
In May, Netanyahu called for reducing Israel’s reliance on foreign military aid in favour of developing a stronger domestic defence industry.
Since its establishment in 1948, Israel has received US economic and military assistance worth over $300 billion.
Under then-President Barack Obama, the US signed a 10-year memorandum of understanding to provide Israel with aid worth $3.8 billion annually in 2016.
Israeli defence ties are not limited to the US; countries including Britain, France, the Czech Republic, Serbia, Denmark, Morocco, Thailand and India have also sought military partnerships with Israel despite concerns about complicity in war crimes.
Human Rights Watch called for nations to suspend weapons shipments to Israel amid ongoing attacks on Lebanon, Iran and the occupied Palestinian territories.
Despite these calls, Israel’s Defence Ministry claims that weapons exports reached “a record high” in 2025, with governments reportedly expressing interest in arms advertised by defence contractors as “battle-tested.”
Maghrebi contacted the US Department of War for comment on Van Hollen’s calls to debate US-Israeli military ties, but has not received a response at the time of publication.
Middle East Eye via Reuters, Maghrebi.org
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