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The money given to Israel is spent almost entirely on American weapons. Israel’s spectacular success in using those weapons increases their attractiveness on the world arms market: they have been used by the IDF, and proven their worth on the battlefield. Israeli defense experts have also made improvements on some American equipment, and shared that information with their American counterparts. Israel is also the most steadfast military ally of the United States, not just in the Middle East, but in the world. It has managed to devastate two terror groups — Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon — that are threats not just to Israel, but to the wellbeing of Arabs in both places.. It is Israel that has foiled the Iranian attempt to build a Shi’a crescent, that would threaten the rich Sunni Arab states of the Gulf; the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen have in the past attacked Saudi Arabia’ s oil installations.
Now the Houthis have been under assault by a series of Israeli airstrikes on their main port of Hodeidah, making it extremely difficult for the Iranians to deliver weapons by sea to the Shi’a terror group. The Israelis have also attacked the international airport in Sana’a, preventing Iran from making delivers of weapons to the Houthis by air. The IDF’s attacks on the Houthis make Israel safer, promote the safety of world shipping in the Red Sea, and, in addition, make Saudi Arabia’s oil installations more secure.
Those who now insist that American military aid to Israel takes money away from other, more worthy recipients, such as the fire departments in Los Angeles, fail to understand that such aid is, rather, not a gift but an investment that pays enormous dividends: by allowing American weapons to be tested on the battlefield, and in proving their worth, make them more attractive to foreign buyers. Israeli defense experts make improvements to those American weapons, and share those improvements with their American counterparts. Israel is the main bulwark against international terrorism. It has devastated Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza, battered Hezbollah in Lebanon so much that it was unable to offer military support for the beleaguered Assad, and hampered the Shi’a Houthis in Yemen from receiving Iranian weapons by blasting both Yemen’s main port of Hodeidah and its main airport at the capital, Sana’a.
One might respond to those now “blaming Israel” for the wildfires in Los Angeles by asking why it is only Israeli aid they focus on. Why not blame the countries of NATO that do not spend, as agreed, their fair share — 2% of their GDP — on defense spending. For that dereliction of duty has forced America to spend more than 2% to make up the difference. Trump keeps saying he will force NATO members to start paying their agreed-upon fair share, or else they may no longer count on the American defense umbrella. Or why shouldn’t we instead of Israel blame Ukraine for the wildfires in California. After all, we have provided Zelensky, in money and weapons, $105 billon so far — more than ten times more than what Israel has received during the same period. Yet no one is out on the street claiming that “aid to Ukraine is responsible for the wildfires in Los Angeles.”
And why not focus attention on the fact that four of the seven top recipients of American aid for the last three-year period for which data is available, 2020-2022 — are Muslim countries — Egypt, Jordan, Afghanistan, and Yemen. Together these four countries have received a total of $7 billion. As Muslim lands, these countries cannot be trusted to be firm geopolitical friends — unlike Israel — of the United States. In fact, one of them, Afghanistan, is now in the control of the Taliban, a group of Muslim fanatics. Yet in 2024, Afghanistan received close to $900 million in American aid. It makes more sense to blame the failure to control the California wildfires on the enormous sums going to these Muslim states, far greater than what is being provided to Israel.
Let’s go over the foreign aid, economic and military, for the year 2024. Here is the list of countries receiving the most foreign aid from the US that year:
1. Ukraine ($17.2B)
2. Israel ($3.3B)
3. Jordan ($1.7B)
4. Egypt ($1.5B)
5. Ethiopia ($1.5B)
6. Somalia ($1.2B)
7. Nigeria ($1B)
8. Congo (Kinshasa) ($990M)
9. Afghanistan ($886.5M)
10. Kenya ($846M)
The Palestinians — not in the top ten recipients of American aid — received about $300 million in direct foreign aid, but much more in payments to UNRWA and other organizations that spend their money exclusively on the Palestinians. In the year following October 7, 2023, more than $1 billion was spent by the American government on the Palestinians. And this massive sum was given despite the continuing insistence of the Palestinian Authority to fund its “Pay-For-Slay” program. The Biden administration chose not to enforce the Taylor Force Act that would have required it to cut aid to the PA until its “Pay-For-Slay” program was discontinued.
Four of the top ten recipients of foreign aid are Muslim states. Why are we providing them with any money, when they clearly see the Muslim and non-Muslim peoples as in a state of permanent war, even if at times that war is not actively being fought? Between them, the four — Jordan, Egypt, Somalia, and Afghanistan — were given directly by the American government more than $5.3 billion dollars, compared to the $3.3 billion provided to Israel. And the Palestinians received another $1 billion. If more money is needed to prepare for the next massive fire — mainly, by buying more firetrucks, more air-borne water scoopers, and hiring more firemen — then wouldn’t it make more sense to cut the foreign aid given to Muslim lands that have somehow managed over the years to inveigle so many tens of billions of dollars out of us? Why are we supporting them, instead of leaving that burden to their fellow Muslims, the colossally rich Arabs of the Gulf?
Of course, those people marching around southern California trying to lay the blame for the Los Angeles fires on Israel will not listen to reason. They blame Israel, and then, by natural extension, “the Jews.” They still maintain that the American military aid given to Israel — and only to Israel, because no other recipient of aid is ever mentioned — costs money that otherwise would have been spent on men and machines to more effectively suppress the wildfires. Never mind that the same argument could be made, with greater justification, about the far larger sums given to Muslim states. Those denouncing aid to Israel long ago made up their minds about the worthless and wicked Jewish state. “From the river to the sea/Palestine shall be free” and “Intifada Forever” are the demands they make of Israel, meaning by such remarks that the Jewish state must disappear, while “ethnic cleansing” and “genocide” are their charges made against Israel. Nothing will change them. Their anti-Israel animus has descended into antisemitic hate. Don’t pay attention to these brain-addled neo-Nazis. Horseman, pass by!
A simple question to CAIR lobby. Why do “palestine:” (fakestine) activists protest FOR illegal immigration?
Are ppl actually blaming aid going to Isreal. Don’t they and the author know that the federal govt. does not find local fire Departments? That’s a local responsibility. They need to blame the morons running LA.
One salient point that’s missing from this article is that Israel unlike Ukraine pays cash for its American weapons! Israel only has loan guarantees, which means in the event the Israeli government defaults on payment, then Uncle Sam is on the hook to ultimately pay the weapon manufacturers. As far as I know in the entire history of American weapon sales to Israel, that nation has yet to default on its payment. In contrast to Ukraine, Uncle Sam is paying for all these weapons in the hope (I’m rolling my eyes) that when the war is over, Ukraine will begin to repay back United States.
The other lunacy of weapon sales is that the federal government via the State Department prevents countries like Israel bypassing Uncle Sam and buying directly from American weapons manufacturers. This is so ridiculous, Congress needs to pass spending bills to purchase overinflated weapons from the private sector and then Uncle Sam sells these weapons to Israel. Why not bypass Congress and allow Israel to engage directly with private American companies? This way Congress doesn’t need to borrow money by selling Treasury debt instruments to raise the funds to purchase weapons, which Uncle Sam then sells these weapons to Israel. Because even when Israel pays back Uncle Sam, that money won’t cover the new interest debt created when the federal government sold Treasury debt instruments to pay for these weapons. So by preventing Israel from buying directly from American weapon manufacturers, Uncle Sam puts on new interest debt onto the national debt…huh yah, that makes a lot of sense!
By allowing Israel to buy direct from American weapons manufacturers that keeps the federal government out of the picture. Also it will allow Israel to put pressure on America’s private sector to reduce its ridiculous pricing structure, costing Israel less money in the long run. Also with Israel’s payment history, it doesn’t need loan guarantees from the federal government. The best thing Congress could do is butt out of Israel’s business, allowing them to engage in direct sales with American weapons manufacturers and the bonus is no additional interest on Treasury debt will be added on to the national debt.
So for the person giving me the thumbs down, I guess you’re perfectly fine with Congress unnecessarily raising money by selling Treasury debt instruments, in order to first purchase the weapons that the State Department approves of selling to Israel. Which means you’re perfectly fine with the unnecessary interest debt added onto the national debt – right? Really – you’re OK with adding on more interest debt, which will eventually rob all Americans of their federal government services and entitlement programs as their budgets will need to be cut in order to service the ever growing interest payable on the national debt?
So you rather go through all that then let the government of Israel just buy directly from the private market among America’s weapons manufacturers? I just want to make sure that’s what you’re saying, when you gave me a thumbs’ down.
What’s TOTALLY OVERLOOKED are the vast number and dollar values of Israeli medical work and research in many cases moving far faster and ultimately at lower costs than what’s done here in the US. Orphaned diseases seem to find better results in Israeli research. Plus there are additional partnerships and collaborations between smaller American drug researchers that benefit the US first then the entire world.
Compare all this with the non-existence of similar returns from ANY other country!
Don’t you think its way past time to help Defend America instead of other nations WE NEED WALLS NOT BRIDGES
People who are against helping Israel survive through arms sales are against Israel surviving at all. They do not care if Israel, as a last resort, is forced to defend itself with its possible nuclear weapons. These folks ought to do some serious brain-cleansing exercises. Any attitude that suggests the world would be a better place if there were no Jews and fewer people needs to inspect the anger in them that probably arose during their earliest childhoods. There is no problem-solving attempt here; only self-fulfilling prophecies that there is nothing we can or should do to prevent our self-destruction.
If they would use the nukes to begin with, there would be no problems with muslims going forward. This situation will continue as always into the future. Tribal warfare never ceases unless there is total destruction.
Another thought to all this, we need to help Israel, because of Genesis 12;3, they are fighting for us, too. Iran said when they have wiped Israel off the map, the USA is next. But these people who try to stop weapons going to our friends, also hate America. Out of that list of our tax dollars being spent, the only one that should get any, is Israel.