Approved by Congress US both houses of the House and Senate voted overwhelmingly to draft the adoption of the budget law of defense worth $ 740 billion, in a move that reveals criticism of the head of Donald Trump, and is preparing to test the loyalty among Republican lawmakers in the event of the use of the president the right to veto the budget, as expected.
The largest defense budget in American history, what is its impact on the Middle East?
The British Middle East Eye website says that despite the political clash between Trump and lawmakers, this defense budget is still the largest in US history, surpassing last year's budget by two billion dollars, and has been criticized for funding military operations abroad rather than using the money to meet Local needs.
The draft budget includes many conditions that may have implications for the Middle East, whether through continuing to support some countries, or imposing sanctions on others.
1- American aid to Israel ... more gifts
The US aid to Israel is a key element in the government 's defense budget for decades, and continues to project this year , the law of inheritance. The bill states that the United States will give Israel $ 3.3 billion in foreign military aid in 2021, a number that Washington has maintained steady over the past 10 years.
This assistance will include $ 73 million for the Iron Dome short-range anti-missile system, a joint weapons program between the United States and Israel. Another $ 77 million will be allocated for the Israeli "Arrow-3" anti-ballistic missile system, and $ 50 million for the "David Sling" air defense missile system.
The National Defense Authorization Law also includes an article stipulating the transfer of precision-guided munitions to Israel beyond the annual limit.
In the months before the law was passed, public discussions took place over the terms of military aid to Israel. Some Democratic presidential candidates said during the primaries that they would benefit from aid to Israel to prevent it from annexing parts of the occupied Palestinian territories.
In June, more than 10 US lawmakers pledged to seek legislation that would place conditions on Washington's military assistance to Israel to ensure that Americans "do not support annexation in any way."
Despite these efforts, there was no mention in the House of Representatives bill of conditions for providing this assistance.
2- The war in Yemen
The National Defense Authorization Act calls for the administration to release a comprehensive report on the war in Yemen, including Washington's support for the Saudi-led coalition and civilian casualties.
If this bill becomes law, it will require the presidential administration to submit a political report on Yemen within 120 days.
This report should include actions taken by the United States to alleviate human suffering, direct US humanitarian assistance, efforts to facilitate humanitarian access to Yemen, and a description of the damage caused to civilians, including injuries.
The Trump administration is reportedly designating the Houthi rebel group in Yemen as a terrorist organization, a move that rights groups say will have a catastrophic impact on humanitarian aid and access to the country.
Some progressives say the bill failed to halt arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which have used US-made weapons to launch attacks on civilians.
"It is a shame that this bill does nothing to stop arms sales to some of the most corrupt and brutal regimes in the world, such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates," said Ilhan Omar, a lawmaker who voted against the defense budget approval bill.
3- Financing the fight against "ISIS"
The draft defense budget bill requests the injection of hundreds of millions of dollars into the security operations of the Anti-ISIS Training and Equipping Fund, including $ 645 million for security operations in Iraq and an additional $ 200 million for Syria, which will be allocated to activities related to combating ISIS's presence in the two countries.
Since announcing the defeat of ISIS in 2018, Trump has said repeatedly that he plans to withdraw US forces from the Middle East.
And although the group has become much less threatening than it was several years ago, ISIS is still able to wage a cheap, low-tech campaign of violence in rural areas that continues to claim lives, according to US and Iraqi counterterrorism officials.
General Kenneth MacKenzie estimates that ISIS still has about 10,000 supporters in the Iraq and Syria region, and is still a real threat, as he put it.
4- Sanctions on Turkey
The draft budget also includes a clause requiring the president to issue sanctions against Turkey for purchasing and testing the Russian-made S-400 missile defense system.
NATO ally Turkey's purchase of the S-400 system is a matter of contention between Washington and Ankara. If passed, the bill would make the imposition of sanctions on Turkey mandatory on the president, and give him 30 days to do so.
The spokesman for the Turkish presidency, Ibrahim Kalin, said Wednesday, December 9, that this issue can be addressed, and that it is no longer a "military art issue, but a political issue." He said, "The congressional view was narrow and from one side, they are overlooking the bigger picture here."