House committee approves Israeli funds

The US House of Representatives Armed Services Committee has approved $474 million for Israel’s anti-missile systems.

Included in the US-Israel cooperative missile system funds is $41.4 million for the short-range rocket system dubbed 'Iron Dome'.

Also included in the amendment approved Thursday are $165 million for 'David’s Sling', another short-range system, and the longer-range Arrow-3 missile programs, as well as $267.6 million in research and development funds.

Reps. Mac Thornberry, the committee chairman, and Adam Smith, its ranking Democrat, initiated the allocation as an amendment to the 2016 National Defense Authorization Act, which now must be approved by the full House and Senate.

The committee also approved an amendment authorizing research and development of an anti-tunneling defense system.

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee backed both amendments.

“AIPAC urges the full House and Senate to include these vital funds in the final versions of the Fiscal Year 2016 defense authorization and appropriations bills,” it said in a statement.