Should U.S. Military Aid To Israel Be Cut?
In a recent interview, Jewish Home leader Naftali Bennett said, “I think, generally, we need to free ourselves from [U.S. military aid].” He implied that perhaps at one time this assistance was necessary, but added that “our situation today is very different from what it was 20 and 30 years ago. Israel is much stronger, much wealthier, and we need to be independent.” On the other side, American politicians like Rand Paul argue that in the face of the crushing U.S. debt, foreign aid to Israel needs to be cut.
Some drawing down of American military support is probably healthy, but for practical reasons—not the ideological reasons Bennett and Paul propose. These politicians want to reduce the ties between the two countries on the basis of two different minority views. Bennett’s goal of extending Israeli sovereignty over the entire Land of Israel is hampered by Washington’s opposition; for him, aid is more a chain than a bond. Paul’s neo-isolationism requires a reduction in close ties to other countries, to avoid being dragged into their affairs.
In theory it shouldn’t be difficult to reduce U.S. military aid to Israel, if policymakers in both countries really wanted to make it happen. After all, Washington provided hundreds of millions of dollars of economic aid from the 1940s, until this assistance was phased out by 2008. But military aid is an important pillar of the Israeli-American relationship, with benefits for both, and powerful actors on each side share that belief.
The Congressional Research Service estimates that since 1949, the U.S. has given Israel about $115 billion in aid. U.S. military assistance has come in different forms. Over the years, chunks have been provided as emergency responses to specific events (like the 1967 and 1973 Wars) or as incentive for positive developments (the 1979 Egypt-Israel peace treaty, the Wye River Memorandum, the 2005 Gaza withdrawal). Regular installments of about $1.8 billion in military assistance began in 1987, and the American defense budget itself provides separate funding for specific programs like Israel’s missile defense systems (the Arrow, Iron Dome), which in fiscal year 2013 stood at $99.8 million.
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http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/01/21/should-u-s-military-aid-to-israel-be-cut.html
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awoke_in_2003
(34,582 posts)country we support. We need to start thinking about ours first.
larkrake
(1,674 posts)
question everything
(47,479 posts)The international affairs budget enables a variety of programs worldwide that promote the security and values of the American people. This budget helps to ensure long-term stability, fosters economic growth around the world, and reinforces a humanitarian ethos both domestically and abroad. The international affairs budget currently achieves all of these objectives for slightly more than 1 percent of the U.S. federal budget. In contrast, current defense spending comprises almost 15 percent of the U.S. federal budget.
awoke_in_2003
(34,582 posts)Although I do believe we have far too many overseas bases, and really need to rein in this "new carrier every three years or so" crap.
RC
(25,592 posts)Why are other countries welfare more important than this one?
MrSlayer
(22,143 posts)We can certainly use those billions here.
Lil Missy
(17,865 posts)
Historic NY
(37,449 posts)
Wolf Frankula
(3,600 posts)That money should be spent in the United States, on Americans.
Wolf
"You take the king's coin, you play the king's tune." The government of Israel needs to be reminded of this, if it wants American money.
