Is The Us The Only Country Who Gives Israel Money

Untold story of The states aid to Israel

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On December. 21, the Us Congress passed the COVID-19 relief parcel as part of a larger $2.3 trillion neb intended to cover spending for the residue of the fiscal year. As usual, US representatives allocated a vast sum of money to State of israel.

While unemployment and poverty levels in the US are skyrocketing equally a upshot of repeated lockdowns, Washington found it essential to provide Israel with $iii.three billion in "security assistance" and $500 million for United states of america-Israel missile defense cooperation.

Although a meagre $600 payment to help struggling American families was the subject of several months of intense argue, in that location was little discussion among Usa politicians over the big funds handed out to Israel, for which there are no returns.

Back up for Israel is considered a bipartisan priority and for decades has been perceived as the most stable item on the US strange policy agenda. The mere questioning of how Israel uses the funds — whether armed forces assist is being actively used to sustain its illegal occupation of Palestine, finance Jewish settlements, fund annexation of Palestinian state or violate Palestinian human rights — is a major taboo.

Ane of the few members of Congress to demand that assistance to Israel be conditional on the latter's respect for man rights is Bernie Sanders, the Democratic senator who has twice sought presidential nomination for the party. "We cannot give (help) card blanche to the Israeli regime — we have the right to demand respect for human rights and democracy," Sanders said in October 2019.

His Democratic rival Joe Biden, now president-elect, chop-chop countered. "The idea that I'd withdraw military aid, equally others have suggested, from Israel is bizarre," he said.

It is no surreptitious that State of israel has been the world's leading recipient of The states assist since the Second World War. According to the U.s. Congressional Research Service, Israel has received $146 billion of United states of america taxpayers' money as of Nov 2020.

From 1971 until 2007, the bulk of these funds proved cardinal in helping Israel establish a strong economic base. Since then, nearly of the money has been allotted for military purposes, including the security of Israel'southward illegal Jewish settlement enterprise.

Despite the US financial crisis of 2008, money connected to be channeled to Israel, whose economy survived the global recession largely unscathed.

In 2016, the U.s. promised even more assistance. The Obama administration, oftentimes mistakenly seen as hostile to State of israel, increased United states funding 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 assist covering the financial years 2019-2028. This is a whopping $8 billion increase compared with the previous 10-year agreement, which ended at the end of 2018.

The new US funds fall into two categories: $33 billion in foreign military grants and an additional $5 billion in missile defense.

Usa generosity has long been attributed to the unmatched influence of pro-Israeli groups, pb among them the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. However, little lobbying has been required by these groups in the past four years as powerful agents within the assistants itself became Israel's top advocates.

Despite the United states of america fiscal crisis of 2008, money connected to be channeled to Israel, whose economic system survived the global recession largely unscathed.

Ramzy Baroud

Aside from the seemingly endless "political freebies" that the Trump administration has given Israel in recent years, it is at present considering ways to accelerate the timetable of delivering the remainder of Usa funds as determined past the last agreement, which currently stands at $26.4 billion. According to official congressional documents, the US as well may approve boosted sales of the F-35 fighter jet, and accelerate delivery of KC-46A refueling and transport shipping.

These are non the just funds and perks Israel receives. Much more than goes unreported since it is channeled indirectly or only promoted under the flexible championship of "cooperation."

For case, betwixt 1973 and 1991, $460 million of US funds was allocated to resettling Jews in Israel. Many of these new immigrants are now the very Israeli militants who occupy the West Bank illegal settlements. In this instance, the coin was paid to a private clemency, the United Israel Appeal, which passes it on to the Jewish Bureau. The latter has played a central office in the founding of Israel on top of the ruins of Palestinian towns and villages in 1948.

Nether the guise of charitable donations, tens of millions of dollars are regularly sent to Israel in the course of "tax-deductible gifts for Jewish settlements in the West Banking company and East Jerusalem," according to The New York Times. Much of the money, falsely promoted as donations for educational and religious purposes, often finds its way to funding and ownership housing for illegal settlers, "besides as guard dogs, impenetrable vests, rifle scopes and vehicles to secure (illegal Jewish) outposts deep in occupied (Palestinian) areas."

Quite often, US coin ends up in the Israeli government coffers under false pretenses. For case, the latest stimulus packet includes $50 meg to fund the Nita Grand. Lowey Middle East Partnership for Peace Funds, supposedly to provide investments in "people-to-people exchanges and economic cooperation betwixt Israelis and Palestinians with the goal of supporting a negotiated and sustainable two-state solution."

Actually, such coin 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 listing is endless, though most of this money is not included in the official Usa assistance packages to Israel and, therefore, receives lilliputian scrutiny, let lonely media coverage.

Every bit of February 2019, the US has withheld all funds to the Palestinian Authority in the West Banking concern, in addition to cut aid to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine refugees, the last lifeline providing basic education and health services to millions of displaced people.

Judging by its legacy of support for the Israeli military and the colonial expansion in the W Depository financial institution, Washington insists on serving as State of israel'southward main benefactor, if non straight partner, while shunning Palestinians altogether. Expecting the US to play a constructive role in achieving a merely peace in Palestine shows not only indefensible naivety but also wilful ignorance.

Ramzy Baroud is a journalist and the editor of The Palestine Relate. He is the author of five books, the latest beingness "These Chains Will Exist Broken: Palestinian Stories of Struggle and Disobedience in Israeli Prisons" (Clarity Printing, Atlanta). Twitter: @RamzyBaroud

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Source: https://www.arabnews.com/node/1784061

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