Jeffries calls for ‘dramatic change’ in US military aid to Israel after Democrats' election victory

Nine days after Democrats secured a sweeping victory in the US midterm elections, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries called Thursday for “dramatic change” in America's approach to Israel, including its military assistance framework, the Gaza Strip, and the West Bank.Speaking at a press briefing in Washington, Jeffries was asked whether he supported an initiative led by Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen and 11 other senators to remove provisions from the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would deepen US-Israel defense and intelligence cooperation.Jeffries stopped short of endorsing the proposal but made clear that the current approach was unacceptable.“I haven't had a conversation with Senator Van Hollen, but what I have said is that things have to dramatically change over in the Middle East,” Jeffries said.“We need dramatic change in the West Bank, which is why I strongly support the West Bank Violence Protection Act. We need dramatic change in Gaza, and we need dramatic change with respect to the Memorandum of Understanding as it winds down, all of which I've previously said publicly.”Status quo is 'unacceptable,' says Jeffries The current US-Israel Memorandum of Understanding provides Israel with $38 billion in military assistance over ten years and expires in 2028. Jeffries has previously called for reconsidering the framework governing future American security assistance to Israel.However, he did not explicitly endorse removing…