Sunday, November 06, 2005
Conferees approve Israel aid
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Conferees approve Israel aid
House and Senate conferees approved $2.5 billion in assistance for Israel.
Approval in a voice vote Tuesday evening returned the full foreign-operations package to both houses for final approval, before it goes to President Bush for his signature. The package, approved by the House on Friday, keeps funding to Israel at current levels, but the Senate vote — likely to take place next week – still could cut foreign aid by an across-the-board percentage because of the costly hurricane season.
The package, which the American Israel Public Affairs Committee lobbied for, includes an additional $40 million in refugee-resettlement assistance for Israel, money that helps absorb Ethiopian Jews, and provides up to $75 million annually in additional funds by cutting administrative costs. The package also preserves $150 million in assistance to the Palestinians as requested by President Bush, though the money is subject to tough congressional oversight.
Also left untouched is $1.8 billion in assistance to Egypt, with its breakdown intact — $1.3 billion in military assistance and the rest in civil assistance — despite attempts in Congress to decrease military spending and increase the amount spent to promote democracy.
http://jta.org/
posted by Somebody @ 10:35 PM Permanent Link
 
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