By Barbara Ferguson

WASHINGTON: Congressional supporters of Israel are considering this week to go over President Bush’s head and give Israel additional military aid. These Congressmen are currently deliberating on how they can get funds from the president’s $27.1 billion emergency appropriations request for homeland security, economic recovery and the global war on terrorism.

Rep. Nita Lowey, New York, the ranking subcommittee Democrat, said efforts were underway to increase funding to Israel. "I think there are enough people who believe that this money is important so that we will work to include it," she said after a hearing.

"The issue is a touchy one given the emotions in the Arab world. Some in Congress say privately that a US military aid bonus for Israel could enrage anti-Israel groups in the Middle East and even threaten the security of US embassies," reported Dan Morgan in the Washington Post.

Israel has certainly grown fat on US aid. The 2002 foreign aid program that Bush signed into law in January provides Israel with $2.04 billion in military aid and $730 million in financial assistance, nearly one-fifth of total US aid to the world.

According to Sara Powell, researcher at the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs: "The amount of aid given to Israel is $3 billion in direct aid, and $3 billion in indirect aid, which equals a $14,630 sum annually to each Israeli citizen."

Israel’s intimidating lobbyists have been quietly pushing the idea throughout Congress for additional military aid. But officials from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) are refusing to comment to the press about the issue.

But Lewis Roth, assistant executive director for the Washington-based Americans for Peace Now, says the question of more funding, "didn’t come up over night, this has been going back and forth between the US and Israel for several months."

Roth says the money is to fulfill a commitment made by President Clinton for Israel’s withdrawal from South Lebanon. "The genesis of the request is that President Clinton promised former Israeli President Ehud Barak $800 million to help pay for the withdrawal from southern Lebanon and for additional missile defense systems," said Roth.

"Congress never completed the process for providing the $800 million, which Israel considered to be a very solid pledge.

"Israel did get $28 million not too long ago to replenish to supply of robots to dismantle bombs, so the administration was not going to press it. Congress said it would. It looks like there’s some momentum now," said Roth.

From Ummahnews (Arab News)