Letter to the editor: Heads-up to voters on Jimmy Panetta’s Israel record

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At a recent town hall, Rep. Jimmy Panetta, who represents Congressional District 19, including Santa Cruz, spent several minutes responding to questions about receiving money from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and his voting for military aid to Israel. On AIPAC, he defended himself by saying that he uses the funds to help other Democrats get elected and that he is not influenced by the hundreds of thousands of dollars he receives. 

On supporting Israel, he claimed he voted against further aid, giving the false impression that he has been in favor of withholding military aid to Israel. This is very misleading. In fact, Panetta has consistently voted to enable Israel’s genocide. One example is that on April 20, 2024, Panetta voted for an aid package that included $26 billion in military aid to Israel.

Allan Fisher

Santa Cruz