WASHINGTON — The US House Armed Services Committee has approved an amendment to add funding for technology to thwart terror tunnels to a defense bill for Israel.
The amendment, which authorizes research and development of an anti-tunnel defense system to protect Israel from Palestinian terror attacks, was added to a National Defense Auth-orization Act that already includes $474 million in funds for the Iron Dome and David’s Sling missile defense systems.
The act passed out of the committee on April 28 by a near-unanimous vote after what its sponsors described as “16 straight hours of in-depth work and negotiation.”
“Our closest ally in the Middle East — Israel — lives under the constant threat of terrorist attacks from underground tunnels,” said US Rep. Gwen Graham (D-Fla.), who co-sponsored the amendment with US Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.).
“The US-Israel Anti-Tunnel Defense Cooperation Act will launch an unprecedented new initiative to protect Israel from this dangerous menace . . . Iron Dome has saved countless civilian lives, and an anti-tunneling defense shield will save countless more,” the representatives said in a joint statement.
According to an April 29 statement made available to the Intermountain Jewish News by Lamborn’s Colorado Springs office, the amendment combines language from House resolutions 1349 and 1649 and is similar to the 2011 legislative authorization for the highly successful Iron Dome Anti-Missile Defense System, which has stopped more than 1,200 rockets from hitting Israel.
“Tunnels are an age-old threat that have re-emerged in a very dangerous way,” Lamborn said in the statement.
“We know that if Hamas has used tunnels in successful terrorist attacks, it is only a matter of time before terrorists elsewhere use tunnels as well. Tunnels are a threat to American bases and embassies around the world, and are already a serious threat on our own southern border.
“For all these reasons, it only makes sense to partner with Israel, like we have done on missile defense, to learn with them about how to defend against tunnels.”
In the summer of 2014, Israel launched Operation Protective Edge in Gaza in response to Hamas missile attacks on Israel and to destroy Hamas’s vast tunnel infrastructure under the Israel-Gaza border, which the terror group used to launch attacks inside Israel.
Recent reports indicate that Hamas has gained funding from Iran to reconstruct the terror tunnel network.
The Lamborn-Graham bipartisan legislation was supported by AIPAC, which said the anti-tunneling technology can also help the US secure its own border with Mexico and protect American military bases.
The IJN contributed to this report.
