Saturday, January 02, 2010
Washington’s generosity towards Israel has amounted to $3 billion a year in military aid since 1985, and extends even further back to the mid-20th century. According to a Congressional Research Service report, no other country has received more foreign assistance from the United States than Israel from World War II until now, and it was the largest annual recipient of U.S. foreign assistance for each year from 1976 to 2004, when Iraq became a high priority.
Israel also benefits from special treatment from Washington, such as the fact that all of its yearly aid is delivered within the first 30 days of the new fiscal year. Most other allies of the U.S. get their assistance through installments that are spread out over the year. Additionally, Israel gets to use some of its U.S. military assistance for research and development in the United States and for military purchases from Israeli manufacturers. But the Jewish state must spend 75% of its help from Washington on military hardware made in the USA, which aids American manufacturers, especially during recessionary times.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
U.S. Foreign Aid to Israel (by Jeremy M. Sharp, Congressional Research Service) (pdf)
US Aid Tied to Purchase of Arms (by Ann Davies, Sydney Morning Herald)
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