Pro-Israel PAC recipients urge benefits for Americans who serve in Israel's military

Congress members who blindly support Israel's government are only fueling continued violence in the Israel-Palestine conflict which is driven by the extremism of both Hamas & Israel's government.

By Ray Hanania

FREE/Middle East politics/ Thursday June 6, 2024

Although many American politicians and the mainstream American news media argue Hamas violence is the greatest threat to Middle East peace, they are not being entirely honest nor incomplete.

The threat to Middle East Peace is one that comes from "extremists" on all sides, from Hamas and from Israel's government which provokes Hamas and then exploits Hamas violence as justification to engage in extremist violence of their own.

The media is most complicit because they play down the extremism of Israel's government, and ignore important facts that might cast Israel's government in a negative light, such as reports that Israel's unprepared response to the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas violence may have been driven by anger more than military strategy, resulting in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) killing not only the militants but also many of the Israelis who attended the targeted festival.

Since then, Israel's government has engaged in an unrestrained wave of revenge violence, claiming to target Hamas fighters but in reality ignoring a government's responsibility to protect innocent civilians. Of nearly 40,000 Palestinians killed, and tens of thousands seriously injured, nearly one-third of those killed by Israel's military response have been women and children.

Since then, Israel has acted with irresponsible and violent impunity, blaming the civilian massacres on Hamas using them as "human shields."

Israel is so intent on controlling this one-sided narrative blaming everything on Hamas and Palestinians while confronting anyone who challenges their unrestrained violence they accuse the critics of being "anti-Semitic."

Worse is that Israel's military has targeted independent journalists working in Gaza who seek to report all of the actions there and have killed more than 100. Journalists who do cover the Israel assault are vetted and approved by the military based on their allegiance to the government, not to journalism. Israel has banned Al-Jazeera from covering the event and have even censored some Israel newspapers that have published information challenging Netanyahu's lies.

The problem in the Israel-Palestine conflict is that the extremists -- Hamas and Israel's government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and it only creates a foundation for continued extremism, making Hamas an "ideology movement" rather than simply a militant organization. That's going to mean that the violence from extremists will not be stopped.

Empowering the growth of this violent extremism are American politicians who see benefits from defending Israel's government. Among the most virulent pro-Israel advocates who have sacrificed truth and facts for selfish political and monetary benefit are the majority members of the U.S. Congress, many of whom received funding from pro-Israel Political Action Committees (PACs) supported by AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.

Millions have been poured into the coffers of these politicians during the past few years accelerated during Israel's carnage.

In an act many might consider treasonous, two members of Congress who have received hundreds of thousands of dollars in pro-Israel PAC donations are urging that Americans who serve in Israel's military receive the same benefits as those who fought to defend America.

The legislation was introduced prior to Memorial Day Weekend, the national American holiday that commemorates the sacrifices Americans veterans have made defending America.

The two sponsors, State Reps. Max Miller (R-OH) and Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA), said they want Congress to provide protections and benefits to Americans who serve in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), regardless of whether or not they first served in the U.S. Military.

Miller has received nearly $200,000 from pro-Israel PACs, while Reschenthaler has received more than $170,000. And that's just what has been disclosed so far.  No doubt, both will receive even more funding for placing Israel's needs above American interests, and for making American taxpayers pay not only for the Israeli violence but also for their legislative actions.

As an American who served in the U.S. Military during the Vietnam War to fight to protect America from the spread of Communism, I am appalled by the legislation which would provide American taxpayer benefits to people who pledge their allegiance to a foreign country.

There are more than 23,000 Americans who have "dual citizenship" which is a euphemism for "dual loyalty" serving in the Israeli military. Although they pledge themselves to defend Israel when they enlist, when they are injured or killed, they are portrayed in a purely propaganda manner as "Americans" killed by Arabs.

Right now, not enough is done for the more than 37,000 Americans who served in the U.S. military who are homeless.

Most Americans who served in the U.S. military receive some benefits, but only those who were injured receive extensive health benefits and support.

Now, Miller and Reschenthaler want American taxpayers to give money to those who turn their back on serving in the American military by serving the interests of a foreign country, Israel.

Of course, like a lot of members of Congress, they have received a strong impetus to introduce and push legislation into the U.S. Congress that would benefit Israel. They are among the more than 450 members of the House and Senate who have received millions in campaign donations from pro-Israel Political Action Committees (PACs) to do Israel's government bidding.

Newly elected to represent the 7th Congressional District in Ohio, Miller has received $27,500 from Pro-Israel PACs that helped him win election in 2023.

A Pennsylvania state legislator, Reschenthaler was elected to Congress in 2019 and just in the past year received more than $170,140 in pro-Israel PAC campaign donations, so far.

These campaign donations are critical to candidates seeking to win office and the more money they receive the easier it is for them to win office and to stay in office. Supporting Israel, and receiving large campaign contributions from pro-Israel PACs that the American Israel Pubic Affairs Committee (AIPAC) approves is the surest way to improve your election chances.

These pro-Israel PAC representatives to take whatever positions they want on any other issue from domestic to foreign policy, with the exception of Israel, which they must support in order to receive those crucial campaign funds.

And they will say and do whatever Israel wants, including ensuring that the more than 23,000 Americans who have dual citizenship with Israel who serve in Israel's military genocide in Gaza are protected from being prosecuted for war crimes and receive the same benefits that Americans who serve with loyalty in the American military.

Americans who fight loyally for their country, America, receive a wide range of benefits from the American government under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA).

The SCRA provides members on active-duty status with financial management safeguards such as rental agreements, security deposits, evictions, installment contracts, credit card interest rates, mortgages, civil judicial proceedings, and income tax payments, among others.

So even if these 23,000 "Americans" don't serve in the U.S. military but do serve in a foreign country's military, Israel, they would be treated exactly the same.

As an American who served in the military, it is appalling. My brother served in the U.S. Marines. My Father and uncle, immigrants from Palestine in the 1920s, served during World War II not only to defend America but to save the Jews from the Nazi holocaust.

Today, the state that was founded after World War II, Israel, is now engaged in perpetrating a holocaust against Christian and Muslim Arabs from Palestine and Miller and Reschenthaler want to ensure that they are rewarded for their treachery to genuine American patriotism which this week is being celebrated across America.

Miller and Reschenthaler are not the only ones who elevated Israel's interests at the expense of the interests of the United States.

Another is Brian Mast, who represents Florida in the U.S. Congress. Mast also served in the Israeli military. In voting to support legislation giving Israel more than $40 billion in taxpayer monies to fund the Gaza genocide, Mast joins Miller and Reschenthaler in putting Israel's interests above the interests of America.

The pro-Israel campaign donations are critical in impacting elections and AIPAC officials are not shy about bragging about it.

“The voice of pro-Israel America will be heard in 2024," said AIPAC spokesperson Marshall Wittmann.

This year, Israel has donated $38 million to members of Congress and plans to spend more than $100 million to oust anyone who criticizes Israel's policies.

Israel isn't just buying our American politicians. The money comes with a price: members of Congress must be loyal to Israel's interests over American interests.

Is it in America's interests to kill 35,000 Christians and Muslims in the Gaza Strip? Or is that Israel's interest, to clear Gaza, a land mass that Israel has always coveted?

Dual citizenship and taking money to support the policies of foreign nation should be criminal, too. Maybe some members elected Congress might consider putting America first by introducing those laws?

The only solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict, one that might one day bring an end to extremist violence from both sides, is to achieve a Two-State Solution that gives both sides a measure of equal rights and security from violence by the fanatics who continue to thrive on both sides.

Blaming one side with criticism for the violence and ignoring the role of the other -- Israeli or Palestinian -- is only ensuring that these violent outbursts will not end but will in fact continue.