US politicians approve £12bn aid for Israel but link it to government cuts

The aid package for Israel engineered by Mike Johnson is tied to cuts in government spending (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

The US House of Representatives approved 14.5 billion US dollars (£12 billion) in military aid for Israel on Thursday.

The move was a muscular US response to the war with Hamas but also a partisan approach by new Speaker Mike Johnson that poses a direct challenge to Democrats and President Joe Biden.