Trump’s decision to halt military aid to Israel ‘victory for Americans’: Palestinian-American state senator

Palestinian-American Aber Kawas, elected to the New York State Senate in the US midterm elections, hailed President Donald Trump’s announcement that he would halt military aid to Israel as a victory for Americans.

Speaking to CNN, Kawas said New Yorkers and people across the country had long been demanding that their tax dollars be invested in local communities rather than spent on wars, genocide and support for foreign militaries.

She described Trump’s reported shift in policy toward Israel as a “victory for Americans” who have campaigned for nearly three years to end US military assistance to the country.

Kawas stressed that politicians should take such action not only for financial reasons but also on moral grounds.

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Winning approximately 75% of the vote in the Nov. 3 elections, Kawas became the first Palestinian-American and the first hijab-wearing woman elected to the New York State Senate.

Following her victory, she wrote on social media: “We made history.”

Trump announced Nov. 3 that the US would halt $4 billion in aid to Israel.

He said an agreement had been reached to end the assistance by the close of the year, declaring: “We will no longer give money to Israel.”

Israeli public broadcaster KAN reported that Trump’s “unexpected” announcement on the day of the US midterm elections had caught officials at Israel’s Defense Ministry and military leadership by surprise.

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