The US House of Representatives on Wednesday passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026. The bill, which authorizes a total of $900 billion in military spending, is notable for its binding provisions concerning Israel.<\/p>\n
A regulation within the nearly 3,000-page text imposes an obligation on the US administration to address disruptions in Israel’s arms supply. This clause mandates the systematic identification and remedy of shortfalls resulting from international sanctions against Israel, which were imposed over allegations of genocide in Gaza and annexation policies in the occupied West Bank.<\/p>\n
New role for the Pentagon<\/strong><\/p>\n According to the act, the US Secretary of Defense will continuously assess current and potential arms embargoes against Israel. The department will examine how these restrictions weaken the capabilities of the Israeli military.<\/p>\n The regulation also requires the identification of specific weapon systems and technologies that Israel can no longer procure or modernize due to sanctions. Washington will develop practical solutions to close these gaps.<\/p>\n Production guarantee against embargoes<\/strong><\/p>\n According to a report in the\u00a0Middle East Monitor<\/em>, Section 1706 of the act serves as both a political and logistical guarantee for Israel. The analysis stated that this provision effectively shields the country from international accountability.<\/p>\n The report described the functioning of the law as follows:<\/p>\n “When Israel is prevented from acquiring a weapons system from another supplier, the US will instead produce a counterpart, expedite sales, or adapt its military-industrial production to meet Israel’s needs.”<\/p>\n Special funding for technology and counter-tunneling<\/strong><\/p>\n In its pre-vote review, the House Armed Services Committee announced that the annual defense act contains an “unprecedented level of support for Israel’s security.”<\/p>\n Under the bill, $80 million is allocated for the joint US-Israel project to counter tunnels. An additional $70 million fund will be provided to help Israel counter unmanned aerial vehicles and other airborne “emerging threats.”<\/p>\n Furthermore, a resource of $35 million is designated for the US to establish a new joint program with Israel and G7 allies to test advanced technologies in artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, cybersecurity, robotics, and automation.<\/p>\n Aid amount doubled<\/strong><\/p>\n Under normal circumstances, Israel receives an average of $3.3 billion in annual military aid from the US. However, this amount increased to $6.8 billion in 2024, more than doubling.<\/p>\n The Israeli government is accused of using weapons supplied by the US to commit war crimes, crimes against humanity, and acts of genocide against Palestinians.<\/p>\n Human rights organizations state that the US government is complicit in Israel’s severe violations and shares responsibility for the bloodshed of Palestinians.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The US House of Representatives on Wednesday passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026. The bill, which authorizes a total of $900 billion in military spending, is notable for its binding provisions concerning Israel. A regulation within the nearly 3,000-page text imposes an obligation on the US administration to address disruptions […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12564,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[2337,14786,1334,503,812,6701,14783,14784,823,659,2236,14785,1140],"class_list":["post-12563","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-middleeast","tag-arms-embargo","tag-counter-tunneling-technology","tag-gaza","tag-headline","tag-israel","tag-military-spending","tag-national-defense-authorization-act","tag-ndaa","tag-pentagon","tag-sanctions","tag-us-house-of-representatives","tag-us-military-aid-to-israel","tag-west-bank"],"yoast_head":"\n