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The 2026 military funding bill released this week would require the U.S. to assess Israel’s weapons arsenal and suggest ways to undo any “gaps” that may be caused by arms embargoes imposed by other countries protesting Israel’s violence.
A provision in the “must-pass” National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) bill for 2026, released by lawmakers on Monday, requires the Secretary of Defense to “conduct a continual assessment of” the “impact on Israel’s defense capabilities” from arms embargoes and other restrictions placed on arms exports to Israel.
The department must then report on “resulting gaps or vulnerabilities in Israel’s security posture” against “adversaries” like Iran, Hamas, and Hezbollah, the bill text says.
Then, officials must conduct an assessment to identify any of Israel’s military “needs” and actions that the U.S. could take to “mitigate such gaps in defensive capabilities.” Such actions could include “addressing barriers” to arms deliveries, expanding cooperation with Israel to develop military technology, and sending weapons directly.
The Defense Secretary, along with the Secretary of State and Director of National Intelligence, must ensure that the report on the subject is updated at least once every 180 days, the bill says.
The remarkable measure comes as a response to at least two dozen countries that have restricted or ended weapons transfers to Israel since its genocide began on October 7, 2023. It also comes after countless experts, including watchdogs within the State Department, have said that continuing to send weapons is illegal under domestic and international law.
Many of these arms embargoes have had little difference on Israel’s ability to carry out its genocide in Gaza and its multi-front aggression otherwise; research has shown that the U.S. provides Israel with 66 percent of its foreign weapons supply, while Germany provides 33 percent and Italy provides 1 percent. Some suspensions, however, may be affecting Israel’s capabilities, like the U.K.’s ban on certain F-35 parts.
The bill is expected to come to a vote on Wednesday and will likely pass with widespread bipartisan support. It also establishes a “U.S.-Israel Defense Industrial Base Working Group” with the goal of incorporating Israel in the U.S.’s technology and industrial bases.
Republican leadership for the House Armed Services Committee boasts that the budget “provides unprecedented levels of support for the security of Israel,” and says that its measure to oppose arms embargoes “combats antisemitism.”
“These measures are not in America’s interest and would not be supported by the typical American voter if they were walked through them,” Josh Paul, a former arms transfer expert who resigned from the State Department over the genocide in Gaza, told Politico.
Indeed, new polling out on Monday found widespread support for barring some or all weapons transfers to Israel. According to Yale’s Youth Poll, strong majorities of voters ages 18 to 34 support a full or partial weapons embargo on Israel, with roughly 7 in 10 supporting the proposal among those under 30, and 56 percent support among those aged 30 to 34. A plurality of voters within the 18 to 34 age range supported a full embargo, with 46 percent of those under 30 saying they think the U.S. should stop all military aid to Israel.
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