[tgs]

Some Notes by David Hazony:

http://www.commentarymagazine.com/bl.../hazony/215601


Some Notes by Sever Plocker:

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7...832593,00.html

[Slonopotam845]

...also without Israel the American tax payer wouldn't probably have money to buy his bread ...

I go along with the general premise of the article ... but not with what YOU say above ....

No offence intended, but I think it's just your English. At least I hope so because statements like that diminish the credibility of what your article says. And that would be a bit of a pity because in general, the article is on the right track ...

[brraverishhh]

How shall we get rid of the American aid?

Israel is a small country it has to support the country which is a superpower. Israel should TRY to get more Aid money for listening to America or any other country in future.

[TorryJens]

That aid money is used to shackle us, and sometimes bludgeon us. No thanks.

[Big A]

That aid money is used to shackle us, and sometimes bludgeon us. No thanks.

Agreed.

[Raj_Copi_Jin]

That aid money is used to shackle us, and sometimes bludgeon us. No thanks.

I don't think Israel cares much about the Aid money. But it has no OPTIONS, so its better to take the money.

Tell me what would change if Israel stops taking the money ?

[Fegasderty]

Of course we have options.

Thats nonsense. We signed on this thing, half way forced on to it, by Carter during the Camp David accords with Egypt. Egypt has since then *abrogated* the treaty on a number of grounds. Nor did they ever negotiate in good faith, thats a myth. We gave them the Sinai for a trojan horse and arming them to the teeth and training them in western combat. All to please the Americans. That is a net negative for Israel, more than even the threat from Iran. These people are right next door to us, in a volatile, authoritarian regime.

The Egyptians gain a lot more by getting billions in money, equipment and training than we get from the strings-attached few billion from the US. Its an insignificant part of our defense budget. It shakles us from selling to whom we'd like.

We need to PULL OUT of Camp David and in one fell swoop cancel aid to both countries, us and Egypt. And we should do this right during US election time for maximum effect. Screw the Obama regime and the court Jews that support it.

[S.T.D.]

It seems unlikely to me that the US would cancel aid to Egypt simply because Israel asks for its own aid to be stopped. It's also EXTREMELY unlikely that arming/training the Egyptian military would stop.

I don't think Israel should try to "get rid of the American aid." $3 billion is a significant percentage of Israel's defense budget. I agree with Sanket, in that for now there are no real alternatives. Israel should take as much as it can and use it to maintain its technological edge. The strings attached are unfortunate, but ultimately I think the benefit outweighs the cost. The US has very rarely actually intervened in Israeli arms sales.

[LottiFurmann]

Even Pakistan gets more financial & Military Aid from America than Egypt & Israel. But Israel does not survive on that Money, neither it cares about the money. It is taking the money just to do dirty work in Middle East, which it has to do till it finds a better & stronger friend. Nothing changes if you take the Aid or Not.


--------------------

Take your money back

03.31.10


Of the $3 billion handed over by the US annually, only $690 million are transferred to Israel in practice. The rest – 75% of the aid – remains in the US and constitutes an indirect government subsidy to US arms manufacturers – Boeing, Lockheed, McDonnell Douglas etc. – thereby enhancing US employment. Only thing positive would be you dont have to read & listen to the crap from people like Friedman.
...

So take back the $690 million you gave us. We’ll do just fine without it. It comes out to about NIS 400 (roughly $120) per every Israeli citizen – most certainly not something that would bring us down. We don’t have to read claims about Jews and money in Friedman’s writing. We could hear them for free, for 20 years, at Reverend Jeremiah Wright’s sermons. ...
In the final analysis, I suggest that Israel renounce the small portion (25%) of US aid that flows directly to Israel, ensuring that all of the aid will be used for acquisitions at American plants and remain in the US to support american job growth.

[doctorzlo]

Even Pakistan gets more financial & Military Aid from America than Egypt & Israel. But Israel does not survive on that Money, neither it cares about the money. It is taking the money just to do dirty work in Middle East, which it has to do till it finds a better & stronger friend. Nothing changes if you take the Aid or Not.

This is the way I look at it too. The current arrangement is temporary. US global power is in relative decline. As other rising powers become more involved in the region and vie for influence over the coming years and decades the "market" for powerful allies will open up and Israel can look elsewhere for its backing or extract more favourable terms in its relationship with the US.

Alliances are fluid. Right now the US is the best option despite some of their objectionable conduct. In the future - who knows?

[Beerinkol]

Seriously, the IDF budget is NIS 53.2 billion for 2010.

We get $2.8 billion from the US. That's less than 10% if I'm not mistaken, and it's been so for years on end. IMHO, the military aid is *insignificant*, especially since we cant buy (cough F22, Apaches, munitions, etc) what we want. We are at a complete disadvantage creating our own [competing] infrastructure and defense programs, by accepting said aid as well. That disadvantage when flipped will make a lot more than 2.8 Billion Dollars. We can sell e.g., India systems that we develop in concert or individually w/o being impeded by Pakistani and Chinese concerns as represented by the Obama regime.

There is an additional $3 billion of conditional loan guarantees, with further funds coming via the U.S.-Israel Joint Economic Development Group (JEDG). The latter can continue on our terms, since it is mutually advantageous to the United States, but is should not be under the aegis of "aid". The former has been used like a bludgeon over the Shamir premiership by Bush senior administration. We cannot afford to be extorted on that level. It's been 20 years since we were so extorted, and we've grown our economy massively since then.

We have absolutely no advantage taking "aid". none. And quite a bit of disadvantage.

I also disagree that pulling out of Camp David, which is budgetary provisioned (aid is provisionally attached and reviewed yearly) will have the correct, and sobering affect on the current American administration and it's runaway policies. Making it a political rather than economic contention will in fact bolster our standing globally, scare our opponents regionally, and gather more support from the party in the United states that actually helps Israel. The Republicans can leverage such an action politically. We should help our friends and we should impede our enemies. The Obama administration has, for all intents and purposes, sided with our enemies against us.