*Lawmakers voted to give Israel $205 million for its production of the short-range rocket defense system, Iron Dome defense, by 410-4 margin.
The pro-Israel lobby AIPAC released a statement following the Congress vote, saying that the decision, that “will reduce the threat from Hamas and Hezbollah rocket attacks, is a tribute to America’s commitment to Israel’s defense and underscores our fundamental security cooperation with Israel, an island of democracy surrounded by a sea of hostile terrorist and totalitarian threats.”

The project’s first phase, which included development, test runs and the manufacture of two batteries, required a budget of NIS 800 million. The Israel Air Force has also trained a special new unit to operate the defense system. However, the plan was not allotted an adequate budget. The Israel Defense Forces ducked away from funding the project with its budget,

The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday voted in favor of President Barack Obama’s plans to help Israel fund the deployment of the Iron Dome anti-missile defense system.

Lawmakers, by a 410-4 margin, backed Obama’s plan to give Israel 205 million dollars for its production of a short-range rocket defense system.
The Iron Dome missile defense system aced a test run in January, and event that convinced senior defense officials that the defense system was on its way to becoming operational and that it will be able to effectively protect against short-range missiles, such as Katyushas and Qassams, which often hit Israeli towns.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Howard Berman said following the vore that “with nearly every square inch of Israel at risk from rocket and missile attacks, we must ensure that our most important ally in the region has the tools to defend itself.”"The looming threat of a nuclear-armed Iran, and the persistent threat posed by Iran’s allies Hamas and Hezbollah, only serve to reinforce our longstanding commitment to Israel’s security,” Berman added. source