In 2005 The Iron Dome was created as a mobile air missile system in Israel with support from the US. When the US first wanted a military defense the US said that they should instead buy Patriot missiles from them. In 2006, Israel tried to invade Lebanon and was defeated. Due to the counterattacks that ended up killing some people, a million people in Israel had to go into bomb shelters. Daily life was disrupted and people felt unsafe. During this time Hamas (the infamous terrorist group) had also increased their own attacks. Israel was seeking support from other countries and the United States came to its aid. Having an Iron Dome at all, allows the illusion of daily life and normalcy to continue all while war and violence in and because of Israel, may still be taking place. 

Up until now, the US had funded about $1.7 billion in the past decade to Israel and has recently added an additional billion dollars. Voting in congress put the bill at four-hundred-twenty for, and nine against with two who abstained. AOC (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez), someone who is known as a very progressive individual, voted present at the last second which shocked many. Her claim to fame has come from her progressive and outspoken views, or at least, what’s been perceived as her views, when in fact it’s been obvious that she, like many other known progressive liberals are known to not back up their statements in moments where their image may be affected. Before she was a US Representative, she called what was going on in Palestine to be a “massacre” done by the Israeli people, yet after being interviewed and asked about it, she claimed not to know enough about the subject to really make such claims. It’s always alright to admit you’re not well versed on a subject, but to completely contradict yourself is something altogether different. The way most of these progressives portray themselves is in fact not how they truly act when they’re truly forced to make a call or action. Passing this bill has almost ensured the funding towards Israel will be going towards another act of violence or war.

When it comes to Israeli Defense Forces it’s been said now that it’s not a question of “if” but of “when” Israel will be going to war with Iran. And with the funding the United States gives Israel, they will have a sufficient defense against Iran forces. In fact, the United States is necessary for the support of Israel and this war. Otherwise, they’d be facing drone strikes, bombings, etc., and probably would not be equipped to properly defend themselves. Even now Israel is preparing and undergoing intense drills to get themselves ready and equipped for the war to come (whenever it may be). What’s important to consider is if Israel goes to war with Iran, other countries, such as Syria for example, will face a major backlash. If the war becomes uncontrolled a third party and more could even become involved. Using US goods, Israel has attacked every one of its neighboring countries, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Iraq, Sudan, etc., and by doing this, the US has been able to see their military goods and funds used in real-time.

In today’s day and age, it’s thought that a missile defense system is essential to stop preemptive bombings and such. Without them, violence and disasters would increase. But the fact of the matter is, war is in business so the United States employs troops and funds other states’ military who they deem allies. They use capital to expand their business and make more goods and services in exchange for profit. But to make more money, we must pull more aspects of life into the corporate world such as food, housing, land, water, personal data; these are all commodities to corporate interest. In 2020, the US war industry and military budget were $778 billion. War corporations inflate the jobs they create, and the United States is a war corporation. The United States has the largest war industry in the world by far. Not just because of its size, but because of its ability to capture other governments. The US is known to gradually take over government function. History has shown that in the past, the United States has taken over entire countries and their people. When it comes to its own people, congress doesn’t even care. Congress responds to the ruling class. With actions like this, we’re possibly in our own way on the way to democratic erosion. By not taking care of our own people and focusing our efforts on military funding for Israel to attack other countries, we’re putting harmful results in front of important issues. Just this July, the House passed a bill two-hundred-seventeen to two-hundred-twelve, granting $62.24 billion to foreign operations for 2022, right before attacks on Palestine took place. This bill has been voted on every year since 2016 (as it will be till 2026 or when it fails), put in place by President Obama. This year’s vote was the closest it has ever been. It’s time to start listening to the United States people instead of the United States military because when it comes down to it, we are so much more than war and violence and the people seem to be the only ones who know that.