Rights Groups Ask Congress to Drop Plan to Deepen Military Ties with Israel

Dozens of civil rights and advocacy groups are asking Congress to remove a part of a defense bill that would build stronger military technology ties between the United States and Israel. In a letter sent Thursday, 56 groups said the provision — called Section 219 — would be "exceptionally dangerous." The letter was addressed to leaders of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees. The groups say this is especially concerning at a time when many Americans are questioning how closely the U.S. should work with Israel.

Section 219 is part of the 2027 National Defense Authorization Act, which is the law that sets rules for how the U.S. spends money on its military each year. The provision would create joint business deals, licensing agreements, and shared production partnerships between U.S. and Israeli defense companies. The bill already passed the House of Representatives in July and is now waiting for the Senate to vote on it. Some lawmakers have already tried to remove the provision, but so far those efforts have not succeeded.

The groups that signed the letter include well-known organizations like Amnesty International USA and the National Lawyers Guild. Arab and Jewish advocacy groups also signed on, showing that concerns about the provision come from many different communities. The letter says that closer ties with Israel's defense industry could give Israel more influence over how the U.S. develops its weapons and military tools. The groups believe this is a problem because U.S. and Israeli goals do not always line up anymore.

Public support in the United States for Israel has dropped a great deal since the war in Gaza began in 2023. A poll from Quinnipiac University taken in June found that 48% of voters think the U.S. is too supportive of Israel. Among Democratic voters, that number was even higher — 66%. Back in 2017, only 16% of all voters felt that way, which shows how much opinions have changed.

The conflict in Gaza started on October 7, 2023, when the militant group Hamas attacked Israel, killing nearly 1,200 people and taking hundreds more as hostages. Since then, Israel's military response in Gaza has killed more than 73,000 Palestinians, according to health officials in Gaza. The letter from the advocacy groups criticizes Israel for possible violations of international humanitarian law during the war. It also points to growing violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in May that he hopes Israel will no longer need U.S. military support within ten years. In a letter to a U.S. congressman in June, he wrote that it is time for Israel to move from being an "aid recipient to partner." The U.S. currently gives Israel $3.8 billion in military aid every year through a formal agreement, but that agreement is set to expire in 2028. Talks are already happening about what U.S. support to Israel will look like after that date.

Two members of Congress — Republican Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Democrat Ro Khanna of California — tried to add an amendment to block Section 219, but it did not make it into the final House version of the bill. The House and Senate will each write their own versions of the NDAA, and then members from both sides will work together to agree on a final version. That final bill must pass both chambers of Congress before it can go to President Donald Trump, who can either sign it into law or veto it. This process usually wraps up near the end of the calendar year.