“We should make it clear…that US military assistance is not to be used to aid and abet settler violence,” said Senator Chris Van Hollen in a recent interview. Is the Biden administration listening?
By Michael Arria, Mondoweiss
An increasing number of prominent Democrats are suggesting that the United States begin conditioning military aid to Israel in an effort to shift of its current government.

The U.S. currently gives Israel over $3.8 billion in military aid every year.
This week Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen (D) told The Guardian that conditioning could prevent Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from further annexing portions of the West Bank or compel his government to crack down on settler violence against Palestinians.
“President Biden should get more personally engaged in addressing these issues. We should make it clear, for example, that US military assistance is not to be used to aid and abet settler violence, and not to be used for the purpose of expanding settlements or protecting those who are erecting illegal outposts,” said Van Hollen.
The Senator wants the Biden administration to look at 1997’s “Leahy Law,” which prohibits the United States from sending assistance to foreign militaries that carry out human rights abuses. Van Hollen recently returned from Israel and the illegally-occupied West Bank, where he says he witnessed Israel engaging in a “land grab” of Palestinian territory.
Recent Posts
By Retreating In The Funding Fight, Democrats Have Abandoned Their Most Loyal Constituents: D.C. Voters
March 15, 2025
Take Action Now In capitulating on the GOP funding bill, Democrats have hung their most core constituents out to dry.By Sam Rosenthal On Friday,…
We Can’t Assume That Trump Will Author His Own Undoing
March 14, 2025
Take Action Now There will surely be turf wars and palace intrigue within the administration, but there is little reason to think that its core…
The Arrest Of Mahmoud Khalil, A Zero Hour Conversation With Sonali Kolhatkar
March 13, 2025
Take Action Now Eskow and Kolhatkar argue that if this repression is not challenged, it will escalate, targeting more individuals and further eroding…
Five Years After COVID, The GOP Is The Anti-Vaccine Party
March 12, 2025
Take Action Now Despite the ongoing spread of COVID, measles and bird flu, Trump has handed power to anti-vaxxers and vaccine skeptics.By Sasha…