US assistance to Israel took a partisan turn Sept. 20 as a hawkish group of Senate Republicans tore into President Barack Obama's record-breaking $38 billion aid package.
Seven lawmakers signed on to legislation from Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., that would provide an extra $1.5 billion in missile defense and direct assistance to Israel's military next fiscal year. They object to the White House's efforts to short-circuit unsolicited annual aid hikes by Congress as well as the elimination of a 26% carve-out for Israel's domestic defense industry instead of US weapons-makers.
