The American Money Tree: The Untold Story of US Aid to Israel
Congress quietly wedged billions of dollars of aid to Israel even as it
debated for months over a measly $600 to help Americans endure the COVID
downturn.
by Ramzy Baroud
December 30th, 2020
By Ramzy Baroud
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On December 21, the United States Congress passed the COVID-19 Relief
Package, as part of a larger $2.3 trillion bill meant to cover spending for
the rest of the fiscal year. As usual, US representatives allocated a
massive sum of money for Israel.
While unemployment, thus poverty, in the US is skyrocketing as a result of
repeated lockdowns, the US found it essential to provide Israel with $3.3
billion in 'security assistance' and $500 million for US-Israel missile
defense cooperation.
Although a meager $600 dollar payment to help struggling American families
was the subject of several months of intense debate, there was little
discussion among American politicians over the large funds handed out to
Israel, for which there are no returns.
Support for Israel is considered a bipartisan priority and has, for decades,
been perceived as the most stable item in the US foreign policy agenda. The
mere questioning of how Israel uses the funds - whether the military aid is
being actively used to sustain Israel's illegal occupation of Palestine,
finance Jewish settlements, fund annexation of Palestinian land or violate
Palestinian human rights - is a major taboo.
One of the few members of Congress to demand that aid to Israel be
conditioned on the latter's respect for human rights is Democratic Senator,
Bernie Sanders, of Vermont, who was also a leading presidential nominee for
the Democratic Party. "We cannot give it carte blanche to the Israeli
government . We have the right to demand respect for human rights and
democracy", Sanders had said in October 2019.
His Democratic rival, now President-elect, Joe Biden, soon countered: "The
idea that I'd withdraw military aid, as others have suggested, from Israel,
is bizarre," he said.
It is no secret that Israel is the world's leading recipient of US aid since
World War II. According to data provided by the US Congressional Research
Service, Israel has received $146 billion of US taxpayers' money as of
November 2020.
From 1971 up to 2007, a bulk of these funds proved fundamental in helping
Israel establish a strong economic base. Since then, most of the money has
been allotted for military purposes, including the security of Israel's
illegal Jewish settlement enterprise.
Despite the US financial crisis of 2008, American money continued to be
channeled to Israel, whose economy survived the global recession, largely
unscathed.
In 2016, the US promised even more money. The Democratic Barack Obama
Administration, which is often - although mistakenly - seen as hostile to
Israel, increased US funding to Israel by a significant margin. In a 10-year
Memorandum of Understanding, Washington and Tel Aviv reached a deal whereby
the US agreed to give Israel $38 billion in military aid covering the
financial years 2019-2028. This is a whopping increase of $8 billion
compared with the previous 10-year agreement, which concluded at the end of
2018.
The new American funds are divided into two categories: $33 billion in
foreign military grants and an additional $5 billion in missile defense.
American generosity has long been attributed to the unmatched influence of
pro-Israeli groups, lead among them American Israel Public Affairs Committee
(AIPAC). The last four years, however, required little lobbying by these
groups, as powerful agents within the administration itself became Israel's
top advocates.
Aside from the seemingly endless 'political freebies' that the Donald Trump
Administration has given Israel in recent years, it is now considering ways
to accelerate the timetable of delivering the remainder of US funds as
determined by the last MOU, an amount that currently stands at $26.4
billion. According to official congressional documents, the US "also may
approve additional sales of the F-35 to Israel and accelerate the delivery
of KC-46A refueling and transport aircraft to Israel."
These are not all the funds and perks that Israel receives. Much more goes
unreported, as it is channeled either indirectly or simply promoted under
the flexible title of 'cooperation'.
For example, between 1973 and 1991, a massive sum of $460 million of US
funds was allocated to resettling Jews in Israel. Many of these new
immigrants are now the very Israeli militants that occupy the West Bank
illegal settlements. In this particular case, the money is paid to a private
charity known as the United Israel Appeal which, in turn, gives the money to
the Jewish Agency. The latter has played a central role in the founding of
Israel on top of the ruins of Palestinian towns and villages in 1948.
Under the guise of charitable donations, tens of millions of dollars are
regularly sent to Israel in the form of "tax-deductible gifts for Jewish
settlement in the West Bank and East Jerusalem," the New York Times
reported. Much of the money, falsely promoted as donations for educational
and religious purposes, often finds its way to funding and purchasing
housing for illegal settlers, "as well as guard dogs, bulletproof vests,
rifle scopes and vehicles to secure (illegal Jewish) outposts deep in
occupied (Palestinian) areas."
Quite often, US money ends up in the Israeli government's coffers under
deceptive pretenses. For example, the latest Stimulus Package includes $50
million to fund the Nita M. Lowey Middle East Partnership for Peace Funds,
supposedly to provide investments in "people-to-people exchanges and
economic cooperation . between Israelis and Palestinians with the goal of
supporting a negotiated and sustainable two-state solution."
Actually, such money serves no particular purpose, since Washington and Tel
Aviv endeavor to ensure the demise of a negotiated peace agreement and work
hand-in-hand to kill the now defunct two-state solution.
The list is endless, though most of this money is not included in the
official US aid packages to Israel, therefore receives little scrutiny, let
alone media coverage.
As of February 2019, the US has withheld all funds to the Palestinian
Authority in the West Bank, in addition to cutting aid to the UN Palestinian
Refugees agency (UNRWA), the last lifeline of support needed to provide
basic education and health services to millions of Palestinian refugees.
Judging by its legacy of continued support of the Israeli military machine
and the ongoing colonial expansion in the West Bank, Washington insists on
serving as Israel's main benefactor - if not direct partner - while shunning
Palestinians altogether. Expecting the US to play a constructive role in
achieving a just peace in Palestine does not only reflect indefensible
naivety but willful ignorance as well.
