(As the incursion by Israel into the Gaza Strip reaches its third week and Palestinian deaths climbs past 600, – with some 70 per cent of them civilians – some commenters to this blog have questioned why we should care about what goes on in the part of the world. The U.S. has a lot at stake in that conflict since we have basically footed the bill for its militarization with heavy outlays since 1949, the year after the State of Israel was founded. We never really knew how large a role the United States taxpayer had played in arming Israel. In 2007, then-president George W. Bush committed this country to a $10 billion aid package stretching into 2018. The Obama administration is continuing this practice in its FY 2015 budget requests.)
US. Foreign Aid to Israel
By Jeremy M. Sharp Specialist in Middle Eastern Affairs
The Congressional Research Service
April 11, 2014
This report provides an overview of U.S. foreign assistance to Israel. It includes a review of past aid programs, data on annual assistance, and an analysis of current issues. For general information on Israel, see CRS Report RL33476, Israel: Background and U.S. Relations, by Jim Zanotti.
Israel is the largest cumulative recipient of U.S. foreign assistance since World War II.
To date, the United States has provided Israel $121 billion (current, or non-inflation-adjusted, dollars) in bilateral assistance.
In addition, U.S. assistance earmarked for Israel is generally delivered in the first 30 days of the fiscal year, while most other recipients normally receive aid in installments, and Israel (as is also the case with Egypt) is permitted to use cash flow financing for its U.S. arms purchases.
In addition to receiving U.S. State Department-administered foreign assistance, Israel also receives funds from annual defense appropriations bills for rocket and missile defense programs. Israel pursues some of those programs jointly with the United States.
In 2007, the Bush Administration and the Israeli government agreed to a 10-year, $30 billion military aid package for the period from FY2009 to FY2018.
During his March 2013 visit to Israel, President Obama pledged that the United States would continue to provide Israel with multi-year commitments of military aid subject to the approval of Congress.
The FY2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act (P.L. 113-76) provides the President’s full $3.1billion request in FMF for Israel.
In addition, it provides another $504 million in funding for research, development, and production of Israel’s Iron Dome anti-rocket system ($235 million) and of the joint U.S.-Israel missile defense systems David’s Sling ($149.7 million), the Arrow improvement program (or Arrow II, $44.3 million), and Arrow III ($74.7 million).
For FY2015, the Administration is requesting $3.1 billion in FMF to Israel and $10 million in Migration and Refugee Assistance. The Missile Defense Agency’s FY2015 request for joint U.S.- Israeli programs is $96.8 million. The Administration also is requesting $175.9 million for Iron Dome.
For full report, see fas.org/sgp/crs/mideast/RL33222.pdf
11 comments:
Throughout the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict there is only one thing for sure....the Arabs want the Israelis dead and want to destroy the State of Israel. This is the one sure thing in this conflict....it still exists. It is not in the best interests of the US to allow the destruction of Israel. That would set an international precedent and lead to more efforts to destroy other states. We cannot allow another holocaust. Hamas, and other terror groups continue to hide behind their civilian populations to engender sympathy from the international community.
Where exactly are these innocent civilians supposed to escape to when the Israeli government will not open up the blockade so this innocent people can escape?
Then the IDF can go in and destroy Hamas and the terrorist.
The Israeli government gives these innocent people two minutes to get out of a building before bombing it.
Again, where are these people suppose to go? Some went to a UN shelter where it is supposed to be safe and the UN shelter gets bombed.
How can you possible justify bombing a hospital?
The truth of the matter is Betanyahu and the right wingers in Israel want to destroy or annihilate the entire Palestinian people and claim the land.
Israel will never stop until they eliminate the entire Palestinian population!!!!
The Israeli government should do this "extermination" with their own money and not the American taxpayer dollars.
The Israeli neocons in the congress and media (Mcain (bomb Iran), Cruz (Canadian), Rand Paul, Bill (bloody) Krystall (who is wrong about everything), Richard (the leaker) Pearle, Wolfowitz, Douglas Feith,Elliot Abrams, etc) would all love for the United States attack Iran and Syria to solve Israel's problems.
The only holocaust happening here is the elimination of the Palestinian people.
Israel is using the "defending themselves" as an excuse to accomplish the extermination.
Israeli right wingers are as much as terrorists as Hamas and Hezbollah.
Like you said, this has been going on for hundreds of years. Let them figure it out on their own with their own money.
The USA should stay out of it physically and financially.
We sure could have used 121 billion dollars for our infrastructure such as schools, bridges and highways. I don’t think it is wise to clump all the Arabs together besides the Israelis are their customers. At one time they were even buying oil from Iran. They have been buying all the surplus oil from Egypt who I know is considered to be Arab. They also imported oil from Syria. One of the main reasons we went to war in Iraq and lost a lot of our soldiers was because of the Israeli interest in opening an existing pipeline from Mosul, Iraq to Haifa. We give the Israelis billions of dollars and we don’t get any of their support either. How come they weren’t in the forefront to boycott that Russian oil when we asked them and other EU countries as well? It has gotten to the point where they tell us what to do, not the other way around. Look at what happened with the FAA they told us that it was better to put our airlines in danger and we had to. I don’t blame the Palestinians wanting the Israelis dead which is understandable because Israel is beyond wanting them dead also. They are already killing them. You say that we should not allow another holocaust. Well, Israel has already started one with the Palestinians. Israelis have to get over it. Stop trying to get even, it was not the Palestinians that caused the holocaust, it was the Nazis. The Palestinians are only fighting for freedom and independence and dignity. It is a fallacy and an excuse to state that they hide in schools and hospitals. There is just no place to hide in Gaza. Israel has them in an enclosed glass bottle rattling a stick like mad. I would suggest that the US should stop supporting this aggression as well as the genocide, which is why we are also considered terrorists in the eyes of many countries. I would suggest that you should join one of these organizations: Jewish Voice for Peace, Ameinu, and Jewish Friends of Palestine.
If Israel is destroyed by the terrorists of Hamas and Hezbollah and others then the turmoil and hatred against non-moslem nations will continue. We would likely see another holy war.
Oh, if only this were happening in the RGV. Not a more pathetic shank of land in the hemisphere. Mexicans worried about the Middle East? LOL!!!!
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Anonymous said... July 25, 2014 at 10:21 AM
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You have no valid defense for your position so you resort to sophmoric, pretentious, juvenile racist comments. We are Tejanos of Mexican descent and just as American as you are.
Many of us Tejanos shed blood (Vietnam) and some made the ultimate sacrifice to defend the freedom of speech that people like you can enjoy to make such pathetic racist comments.
So enjoy making this pathetic comments under the cover of anonymity.
However, if you don't like this pathetic shank of land feel free to leave!
The IDF could use another volunteer to help destroy the terrorists that are Hamas and Hezbollah.
Just let the innocent people go.
Yes. The U.S. (We) have a stake in the Middle East !!!!
A lot of the South Texas population resemble Camel Jockeys. Just look at the pics of the Talibanos. They look like our uncles and bros.
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Anonymous said...
A lot of the South Texas population resemble Camel Jockeys. Just look at the pics of the Talibanos. They look like our uncles and bros.
July 27, 2014 at 12:46 PM
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Come on Dude, those are the Republicans and TeaParty patriots!
Ah, yes. Those are the T-Partiers and Repubs. The real Talibanos !
We really don't have to worry about the camel jockeys. When left to their own selfs, they kill themselves .these crazy idiots enjoy fighting . They all carry crooked daggers on their sheets.
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