Squeeze Israel by cutting US aid? Not likely

[oberliner]

JERUSALEM -- The diplomatic crisis between the U.S. and Israel has sent a tremor through their alliance, but one key part of the bond seems virtually untouchable: the roughly $3 billion a year in U.S. military aid.

Israel's harsher critics often call for aid cuts to twist Israel's arm. Yet amid the uproar of recent days over plans to build 1,600 new homes for a Jewish neighborhood in a disputed part of Jerusalem, there has been no serious talk of using aid as a club.

One reason may be the potential backlash from Israel's supporters in the U.S. Another is that the overwhelming part of the money cycles back into the American economy.

Israel is the biggest recipient of American aid after Afghanistan. But unlike most other countries, Israel's aid is earmarked entirely for military spending. Under an agreement between the two allies, at least three-quarters of the aid must be spent with U.S. companies.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/20/AR2010032001303.html

[MUAD_DIB]

1. It is not harsh criticism of Israel to stop the $$$ if it continues

to advance work on illegal settlements.

In fact it is pretty just.

[oberliner]

3. I think the point is that most of that money goes back into the US economy

Namely, the military and defense firms.

[MUAD_DIB]

4. I really don't care in what form that it comes back. If Israel's actions don't

improve then they should get nothing at all: no money, no military hardware. It is time for the Israeli government to reign in their crazies that want to populate Palestinian territory.

[Violet_Crumble]

7. Well, maybe the US should send that aid to another country....

I'm sure there's many countries that are allies of the US that aren't carrying out belligerant occupations and carrying out illegal settlement construction who would be more than happy to take the aid under the same conditions of the current aid to Israel :)

[LeftishBrit]

14. 'Many countries that are allies of the US... who would be more than happy.."

"that aren't carrying out belligerent occupations..."

Not sure. A country willing to sacrifice a significant amount of its freedom of choice for American military aid is probably either already engaged in extensive military action, or would be willing to do so if another 'Bush' required a 'coalition of the willing'.

The UK went pretty far down that road even without needing that degree of military aid. And has indeed been involved in 'belligerent occupation' as a result.

I'd prefer less military aid all round, and more development aid to reduce world poverty - but with the crucial world of the military industrial complex in the world economy, that's unlikely to happen.

However, I am sure that with Israel, America can at least reduce, if not abolish, the aid if they don't play ball. (And of course there is always the ultimate threat of renaming Jerusalem Artichokes as Freedom Artichokes!) Therefore, America can have an influence there; as it in fact does in many parts of the world.

[shaayecanaan]

10. Will the US give me $ 3 billion a year if I promise to spend it on American goods?

Because I am willing to do so for the greater good. And I am even willing to guarantee that I will not spend any of the money on cluster munitions to be dropped on residential neighbourhoods.

[JackRiddler]

20. Well, it's true that the military and defense firms have been starved for funds in recent years...

:eyes:

[LeftishBrit]

16. I agree - in any case if a country is providing money to another, they have a right to set terms

However, I think the point here is not that America would refrain from cutting aid on moral grounds, but that it depends economically and otherwise on its alliance and agreements with Israel; therefore this could limit its willingness to cut aid.

[polichick]

2. It's disgusting on so many levels. nt

[ProgressiveMuslim]

5. I just found out the band in my kids' HS is being cut. And my tax dollars are supporting Israel??

[azurnoir]

6. Personally I would much rather see the US

stop shielding Israel from the UN, now that would send a message

[hack89]

18. It would certainly expose the UN's true nature

and accelerate it's demise, but I doubt that Israel would pay much attention. For that matter, I doubt most Americans would either.

[Behind the Aegis]

19. The UN's true nature has already been exposed.

[TomClash]

8. Hilarious argument

I see ADL and LAP have been working overtime.

Why don't we just keep 100% of the cash and dish it directly to the military contractors? Or better yet, we not spend it on health care, infrastructure, technological research and so on?

[howaboutme]

11. We borrow it to fund Israel's universal health care

These billions we borrow from China to give to Israel is some serious per capita money to the 6 million Israelis. While some claim it comes back to US military contractors it could just as well go to Israeli health care (as money is fungible), the kind of health care we can't afford in the USA.

One thing for certain, if my uncle Sam was giving me lots of money each year, the one thing I wouldn't be doing would be dissing him.

[TomClash]

12. Funny how we are behloden to both China and Israel

One supplies cheap labor and cheap goods and the other . . . ???

[LeftishBrit]

15. No you don't. It goes to military, not social, aid.

In any case, the lack of universal health care in America is not because 'you can't afford it' (as I understand your current health care system is *more* expensive than those of Europe), and certainly not because the money is going to Israel. It's because of a combination of the insurance companies having politicians in their pockets, and the promotion of a right-wing ideology that opposes 'socialized medicine'.

If the powers-that-be in the USA wanted universal health care, it would happen. The UK established the NHS just after a long and costly war, during a period of austerity, at a time when *food* and *clothes* were being rationed. But the leaders of the time, and the population as a whole, regarded universal health care as a priority, so it happened.

I hope that this will change in the USA; good luck for today's vote, and many more to improve things further.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

17. I think you're wrong, because it frees up Israel to spend other money elsewhere.

The fact that US aid to Israel is nominally tied to military spending isnt' terribly relevant - if the US were to declare that its aid to Israel were now tied to healthcare, Israel could just shift an equal amount of domestic spending from healthcare to armaments and there would be no difference.

[shira]

9. It would be stupid for the US to cut aid.....it's a two-way street

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=124x301969

According to Senator Daniel Inouye, Chairman of the Appropriations Committee and its Subcommittee on Defense and a veteran of the Intelligence Committee, "Israel's contribution to US military intelligence is greater than all NATO countries combined."


Former Secretary of State, General Alexander Haig, a former Supreme Commander of NATO, refers to Israel as "the largest, most battle-tested and cost-effective US aircraft carrier, which does not require a single US personnel, cannot be sunk and is located at a most critical area for US national security interests." If Israel did not exist in the eastern flank of the Mediterranean - adjacent to most critical oil resources and water lanes, in the intersection of Europe, Asia and Africa - the US would have to deploy a few aircraft carriers to the region, along with tens of thousands of military personnel, costing scores of billions of dollars annually and risking involvement in additional regional and international confrontations. The Jewish State constitutes a battle-proven laboratory, which has improved thousands of US-made military systems and technologies, sharing with the US such improvements, thus enhancing the competitive edge of the US defense industries, expanding US employment and export base, upgrading US national security and saving many US lives and mega billion of dollars in terms of research and development cost. For instance, the current generation of the F-16 includes over 600 modifications introduced by Israel.

[howaboutme]

13. I beg to disagree

Did Haig make his statement before 6-8-1967? Did Inouye make his before 9-11?

Before touting Israel's intel as being of significant value, I'd have to ask the victims of 9-11, of the fraudulent Iraq War, and the USS Liberty just how valuable it was for them.