Rights groups urge US lawmakers to drop provision to deepen defence ties with Israel
Rights groups urge US lawmakers to drop provision to deepen defence ties with Israel Dozens of civil rights and advocacy groups are urging Congress to scrap a defence bill provision that would deepen US-Israeli military technology ties, according to a letter seen by Reuters, at a time of growing US skepticism toward the longtime ally. The provision would deepen cooperation between the US and…
Civil rights and advocacy groups are urging US lawmakers to remove a provision in a defense bill that would strengthen defense ties between the United States and Israel, according to a letter obtained by Reuters during a period of increasing US skepticism towards the longstanding ally. This provision, Section 219 of the 2027 National Defense Authorization Act, aims to expedite joint military technology development and other collaborations between the US and Israeli defense sectors.
The bill was approved by the House of Representatives in July and is currently awaiting consideration in the Senate. The letter, addressed to leaders of both the House and Senate Armed Services Committees, was signed by 56 organizations, including Amnesty International USA, the National Lawyers Guild, and various Arab and Jewish advocacy groups.
The groups argue that deepening the integration with Israel's defense sector could pose a significant threat and urge lawmakers to eliminate the provision. They contend that as American interests and public opinion increasingly diverge from unconditional support for Israel, introducing new avenues of influence in the US defense-technology ecosystem could be exceptionally perilous.
Written by urgent.news from Middle East Eye's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
