On Wednesday, the US House of Representatives passed its largest ever funding package to Israel, authorizing a $1.5 trillion omnibus spending package, which includes $1 billion in emergency funding for the Iron Dome missile defense system, according to Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
The bill also covers the $3.3 billion in security assistance and $500 million in missile-defense partnerships previously agreed upon as part of the 2015 memorandum of understanding between the US and Israel. It also includes the Israel Relations Normalization Act that aims to strengthen and expand Israel's normalization pacts with Arab states.
The bill will soon head to the Senate, where it is expected to be passed before the weekend, at which point it will be sent to President Biden to sign.
On Thursday, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz expressed his gratitude to the U.S. administration for the unprecedented funding.
"Thank you to the U.S. House of Representatives for passing critical security and missile defense funding for Israel in the spending package," Gantz wrote on Twitter. "Iron dome replenishment and missile defense will ensure Israel’s military edge, secure our citizens, and bolster US-Israel cooperation.
"I would like to thank President Joe Biden for his leadership and his unwavering support for the security of the State of Israel," Gantz added, "and I would also like to thank my friend the U.S. Secretary for Defense, for his steadfast commitment to the extraordinary U.S.-Israel ties and defense cooperation.
"Once again we witness the extraordinary bond between the U.S. and Israel - a relationship that spans both sides of the aisle and that is based on common values, strategic interests and a shared aspiration for a more peaceful and free world."