Name: Why Does the U.S. Support and Fund Israel So Much? | WSJ
Uploaded: 2024-02-10T21:01:20.000Z
Duration: 8 min 52 s
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Israel's response in Gaza to the Hamas attacks has led to protests across the US demanding a ceasefire, with many calling for an end to US military aid to Israel.

If you want my money, you better listen to me.

The US provides about $3.8 billion in aid to Israel every year.

And since World War II, the US has provided more foreign aid to Israel than any other country.

But today, there are increasingly vocal calls for more scrutiny of that aid from the left wing of the Democratic Party, including threats to scuttle Biden's request for $14.3 billion in additional assistance to Israel.

It's changing the nature of the discussion now.

It was once frowned upon to criticize Israel publicly, and now you're seeing more and more that people are doing so, and those calls are getting louder and louder.

This is a simple request for information.

On January 16th, Senator Bernie Sanders introduced a resolution that sought to impose conditions on continued aid to Israel.

It simply requests a report on how USA aid is being used.

This is a very modest, common sense proposal.

Sanders' resolution would freeze aid to Israel unless the State Department produced a report within 30 days, examining whether Israel has committed human rights violations in Gaza.

What is going on in Israel right now is being done significantly with US military aid.

So the 2,000 pound bombs which have the capability of wiping out entire neighborhoods, those are American bombs.

As expected, the Senate overwhelmingly rejected Senator Sanders' resolution in a 72 to 11 vote.

We can and should continue to push Israel towards a targeted prosecution of the war against Hamas and Gaza, but passing this resolution does not do that.

In fact, I would say it is counterproductive to it.

Are we complicit? And the answer obviously is yes, we are.

And that's why I brought up this resolution. And I and other members will continue to fight for accountability from Israel.

Even though the resolution failed, it represents a historic level of scrutiny for USA to Israel.

Just the fact that the Senate is now forced to debate this issue publicly really shows that there's a changing tide.

Even if it didn't go anywhere and it was overwhelmingly rejected, the fact that senators are now forced to grapple with this question publicly shows that there is increasing pressure to do more.

An historic moment for Zion, which is celebrated in Washington at the office of the Jewish Agency for Palestine, as a small boy runs the flag of the new Jewish state out on the staff.

Well, 1948, the United States was first country in the world to recognize Israel.

The United States recognizes the provisional government as the defacto authority of the new state of Israel.

But there really wasn't financial assistance attached.

There was a little bit of money, loans to help resettling all the people into Israel.

And of course, this was still right after the Holocaust.

Many had suffered great hardships in the past.

She, for instance, was evidently once merely a number in some Nazi (indistinct).

Which was an important part of the context for the creation of Israel.

In the 1950s and '60s, the US provided the new country with economic aid.

But by the early 1970s, US aid became mostly military assistance.

In 1973, two Soviet client states, Egypt and Syria, launched a coordinated surprise attack on Israeli forces in the Sinai and the Golan Heights.

Israel ultimately repelled the attacks and regained lost ground, but only after the US made the decision to supply the Israeli military.

Are you satisfied with the amount of equipment you're getting from the United States?

I am very happy with what we are getting and very thankful for that.

In 1973, Israel was defending itself against two Soviet clients.

That created an incentive for the United States and Israel to align more closely.

The real pivot came after the Camp David Agreement.

Signed at the White House by the leaders of Egypt, Israel, and the United States.

After decades of mistrust and warfare, it looks as if American diplomacy has finally made possible a formal peace treaty between the two old adversaries.

That really created a very different relationship with Israel, a very different American security commitment to Israel.

And it was also the 1970s where Israel went from being a somewhat partisan, mostly democratic cause, to being a bipartisan national issue.

For decades, US economic aid to Israel helped support the Israeli economy.

But since the rapid expansion of Israel's economy in the 1990s, US economic aid to Israel began to gradually phase out in the 21st century.

So there was a shift over time, agreed to by both sides, where the American assistance to Israel, which had been balanced after the Camp David Agreement in 1979 between economic and military assistance, became only military assistance.

Part of America's strategy in the Middle East is ensuring that Israel maintains a qualitative military edge over its neighbors.

This approach involves giving Israel first access to or more advanced versions of US defense technology.

It also offsets military sales to its neighbors with increased weapons packages or military aid to Israel.

What this means is that when the neighbors wanna buy a weapon system, the United States oftentimes of has to arrange to also sell that weapon system to Israel.

Annual foreign military financing grants from the US represent about 16% of the Israeli military budget.

So let me share with you why making sure Israel and Ukraine succeed is vital for America's national security.

You know, history has taught us that when terrorists don't pay a price for their terror, when dictators don't pay a price for their aggression, they cause more chaos and death and more destruction.

In Israel, we must make sure that they have what they need to protect their people today and always.

Last year, President Biden requested $14.3 billion in additional assistance to Israel.

A $14 billion funding request would provide an additional $10.6 billion for the Pentagon to better equip Israel.

The US military response to the Hamas attack includes ammunition and interceptors to replenish Israel's Iron Dome system, which is the bedrock of the country's defense.

Israel and America are connected now and forever.

Historically, US aid packages to Israel have faced little trouble getting through Congress because Israel has long enjoyed bipartisan support.

Peace requires compromise, but we will never ask Israel to compromise its security.

There has been remarkably strong bipartisan support for aid to Israel, but for the last five to 10 years, we've seen increasing signs, certainly on the Democratic side in Congress, that maybe it needs to be qualified.

Maybe it needs to be conditioned in some way.

Despite the different mood in Congress, it remains likely that Biden's new security package to Israel will pass the Senate.

If Hamas is left to its own devices, they will do to Israelis everywhere in Israel what they did to Israelis on the Gaza...along the Gaza Strip.

We're gonna support our close friend and ally, Israel.

The US has decided that providing aid to Israel is just a fixture in its foreign policy.

One thing that I have talked to officials about in recent weeks is, you know, "Are there gonna be conditions at any point?

You criticize Israel's actions. So what do you tell them behind the scenes to sort of hold them accountable? Would you withhold military aid?"

And the answer I get generally is no. It's not even a question.

For his part, Senator Sanders intends to continue scrutinizing the military assistance the US provides to Israel.

Do not count me in to give another $10 billion to a right-wing extremist government in Israel.

It's a start, but I can tell you absolutely that there are many more members of the Senate who are really upset about what is going on in Gaza right now.