Washington (special) -- While the U.S. State Department was criticizing Israel for the helicopter-launched missile strike in Nablus that killed two senior Hamas officials and six other persons, including two children, a subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee was inserting $40 million more into President George W. Bush's budget to underwrite Israel's efforts to develop high-tech defenses against incoming missiles.

Although the timing was coincidental, the action by Congressman Duncan Hunter's Subcommittee on Military Research and Development underscored the fact that even though the normally-pro Arab U.S. State Department criticizes Israel for its preemptive strikes against presumed terrorists, the decidedly pro-Israeli Congress wants to strengthen the two countries' longstanding strategic alliance.

A State Department spokesman described Israel's July 31 attack through the window of a building where senior Hamas officials  Jamal Mansour and Jamal Salim were meeting as "a new and dangerous escalation" in Israel's response to the Palestinian intifada.  Secretary of State Colin Powell contended Israelis were "too aggressive" in launching the strike which also killed four other persons in the apartment as well as two children passing below the window.

On Capitol Hill, meanwhile, Hunter, a Republican from San Diego County, inserted into the subcommittee's version of the budget bill $30 million more for the development of the Arrow Missile defense system, which Israel believes will be capable of shooting from the sky any incoming missiles fired by such hostile neighboring states as Syria, Iraq, or Iran. President Bush originally had asked Congress to budget $46 million for the program, a figure later increased to $66 million when Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld sent to Congress an adjusted recommendation.  Hunter's subcommittee action would increase the Arrow appropriation to $96 million.

At the same time, Hunter's subcommittee added $10 million to the Military R&D section of the budget bill for continued development by Israel of a theater high energy laser (THEL), to obliterate any incoming small rockets such as the Katyushas often fired from Lebanon by Hizbollah guerrillas.  Specifically, the money would be used to develop a system to facilitate transport of the laser.

Potentially more significant for U.S.-Israel strategic relations, Hunter and Rep. Curt Weldon (R-Pa.) inserted language in their subcommittee's version of the buget authorizing a joint program by Israel and the United States to develop an anti-missile system capable of shooting down a rocket while still being boosted into space from a launch pad.

The Arrow Missile attempts to explode an enemy missile as it is coming down over Israel's airspace.  The proposed technology would shoot the rocket down as it was still lifting off from enemy territory, Hunter told HERITAGE during a telephone interview.

Although no money was included in the budget bill for this latter enterprise, the language - assuming it is approved by both the House and the Senate, and signed into law by President Bush-could pave the way for a major new program.

The full House Armed Services Committee on Aug. 1 accepted the recommendations of Hunter's subcommittee, setting the stage for a debate on the measure on the House floor perhaps in September.

The money for Israel programs is a tiny fraction of the $8.16 billion the House Armed Services Committee has authorized for missile defense programs in response to President Bush's proposal to erect a missile shield around the United States.

Hunter, an advocate of a vigorous American missile defense program, said the fact that Israel is anxious to develop anti-missile technology should prove the wisdom of the United States pursuing a similar course.  "The arguments opponents make here is 'as long as you can annihilate the adversary, you don't need other weapons,' but Israel recognizes that it's better to shoot down incoming missiles than to utilize nuclear (capabilities)," Hunter said. "And Israel is one of the few countries which ever has been hit by missiles."

Hunter's office faxed to HERITAGE a copy of a letter that he and other members of the House of Representatives sent in 1987 to Yitzhak Shamir, who was then Israel's prime minister.  Noting that there was little American political support for development of Israel's Lavi jetfighter - on the theory that many other countries were manufacturing fighter aircraft - the congressional letter suggested that Israel instead focus instead on anti-ballistic missile defense. 

"In developing a system such as Arrow, Israel's most recent ATBM proposal, Israel can take advantage of a free world market desperately in need of tactical missile defense," continued the letter to Shamir, which Hunter said he drafted.  

"Simply put, lots of nations make lots of aircraft.  None of them, except the communists, make a tactical missile defense syste," the letter to Shamir continued.. "Israeli experts are much more worried today about Syria's SS-21 missiles than they are about their fighter aircraft.  In 1982, Israel destroyed over 80 Syrian aircraft with negligible losses. Today, should the Syrians decide to use their Soviet SS-21 missiles, instead of their aircraft in an attack on Israel, we could not expect to destroy a single missile en route to its target."

Hunter said he was able to persuade his subcommittee colleagues last week to augment the Arrow and Thel spending authorizations partly because "we started this program to benefit not only their defense, but our own."

The congressman's actions drew praise from the America Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), whose spokesman Ken Bricker described Hunter as "one of the founding fathers of the Arrow program" and as someone since the mid 1980s who  "has strongly urged Israel to pursue this vital program which is now paying big dividends in Israel's ongoing efforts to protect itself against ballistic missile attack and weapons of mass destruction.

"Congressman Hunter has once again exhibited strong leadership by increasing funding in this year's defense legislation for both the Arrow system as well as the THEL program," the AIPAC spokesman said.  "He is a true leader in promoting the U.S-Israel strategic partnership."

Asked if the State Department's voiced displeasure with Israel's attack on the Hamas offices in Nablus could have any adverse impacts on the THEL and Arrow programs, Hunter told HERITAGE that was unlikely.

"The story on the State Department, when it comes to Israel, is that there is an inherent bias, no matter which administration," Hunter said.  The congressman added that he recently apprised President Bush of his subcommittee's actions on missile defense, including the Israel component, and "I think the President is very happy."