California Democrat who recently claimed he was “detained” by Israelis while trying to reach a closed military zone in Judea makes cutting aid to Israel a major plank on the Democratic midterm platform.By David Rosenberg, World Israel NewsRep. Ro Khanna said House Democrats would push to end US aid to Israel if the party regains the majority in November’s midterm elections, placing the proposal alongside several of the party’s leading progressive domestic priorities.The California Democrat made the pledge in a video message released Monday, days after 103 House Democrats supported an unsuccessful attempt to eliminate $3.3 billion in annual US security assistance to Israel.“Here are five things House Democrats are going to do once we have the majority: We are going to push for Medicare for all,” Khanna said.“We are going to push for a living wage,” Khanna continued. “We are going to push for unions…we are going to push for childcare at $10 a day… And we are going to push for an end to aid to Israel that committed a genocide in Gaza.”Khanna did not distinguish between offensive military assistance, defensive systems such as Iron Dome or other forms of US support in the video.He also did not indicate that the proposal had been formally adopted by House Democratic leaders. His declaration instead reflected the rapidly growing support within the Democratic caucus for reducing or ending military assistance to Israel.The shift was demonstrated in a House vote on July 15, when 103 Democrats joined Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky in supporting an amendment that would have blocked funding in a State Department appropriations bill from being used for Israel.The measure was defeated 314-104, with Massie providing its only Republican vote.The amendment would have prevented the payment of $3.3 billion in annual security assistance provided under a 10-year agreement signed by the United States and Israel in 2016.House Democratic leaders were divided over the proposal. Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries opposed the amendment, describing it as too broad, while Democratic Whip Katherine Clark supported it.The vote nevertheless represented a significant break from the broad bipartisan support traditionally enjoyed by US assistance to Israel.Khanna followed his aid pledge with a second video criticizing House leaders for preventing a vote on a separate amendment he introduced with Massie concerning US-Israeli military cooperation.“Thomas Massie and I have been fighting to stop the integration of our military with Israel’s military,” Khanna said Tuesday.“It is shocking that this even has to be explained. It is about American sovereignty.”The Massie-Khanna amendment would have removed Section 219 of the proposed National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2027.The section would establish a United States-Israel Defense Technology Cooperation Initiative and deepen cooperation between the two countries in military research, development, testing, weapons production and data sharing.The initiative covers areas including artificial intelligence, directed-energy weapons, cyber defense, biotechnology, network integration and data fusion.“Yet yesterday, the Rules Committee found that Thomas Massie’s amendment couldn’t even get a vote in the House of Representatives,” Khanna said.“We do not even have a chance to vote in the House to stop Israel and the United States from co-producing weapons.”The Republican-controlled House Rules Committee reported the rule governing debate on the defense bill on Monday without making the Massie-Khanna amendment eligible for a floor vote.The full House approved the procedural rule Tuesday by a vote of 214-211, allowing the defense bill to advance with Section 219 still included.The post Khanna vows Dems will push to end Israel aid if they win midterms appeared first on World Israel News.