How Much Tax Money Does The Us Govt Send To Israel

Untold story of US aid to Israel

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On Dec. 21, the Usa Congress passed the COVID-nineteen relief package as part of a larger $2.3 trillion bill intended to cover spending for the residual of the fiscal yr. As usual, US representatives allocated a vast sum of money to Israel.

While unemployment and poverty levels in the US are skyrocketing equally a event of repeated lockdowns, Washington found information technology essential to provide Israel with $three.iii billion in "security aid" and $500 1000000 for US-Israel missile defense cooperation.

Although a meagre $600 payment to help struggling American families was the subject of several months of intense contend, there was little discussion among US politicians over the large funds handed out to Israel, for which there are no returns.

Support for Israel is considered a bipartisan priority and for decades has been perceived as the most stable item on the US foreign policy agenda. The mere questioning of how State of israel uses the funds — whether military aid is existence actively used to sustain its illegal occupation of Palestine, finance Jewish settlements, fund annexation of Palestinian land or violate Palestinian human rights — is a major taboo.

Ane of the few members of Congress to need that help to Israel exist conditional on the latter'south respect for human rights is Bernie Sanders, the Democratic senator who has twice sought presidential nomination for the party. "We cannot give (aid) card blanche to the Israeli regime — we accept the correct to need respect for human rights and republic," Sanders said in October 2019.

His Democratic rival Joe Biden, now president-elect, quickly countered. "The idea that I'd withdraw armed forces assistance, as others have suggested, from Israel is bizarre," he said.

It is no secret that State of israel has been the world's leading recipient of United states aid since the Second Earth State of war. According to the US Congressional Research Service, Israel has received $146 billion of United states taxpayers' money as of November 2020.

From 1971 until 2007, the bulk of these funds proved primal in helping Israel establish a strong economical base of operations. 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 fiscal crisis of 2008, coin connected to be channeled to Israel, whose economy survived the global recession largely unscathed.

In 2016, the Us promised even more aid. The Obama assistants, often mistakenly seen every bit hostile to Israel, increased US funding by a meaning margin. In a 10-year memorandum of agreement, Washington and Tel Aviv reached a deal whereby the US agreed to requite Israel $38 billion in military assistance covering the fiscal years 2019-2028. This is a whopping $viii billion increase compared with the previous 10-year agreement, which concluded at the stop of 2018.

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

US generosity has long been attributed to the unmatched influence of pro-Israeli groups, lead among them the American Israel Public Affairs Commission. Notwithstanding, little lobbying has been required by these groups in the past four years as powerful agents inside the administration itself became Israel'southward elevation advocates.

Despite the U.s. financial crisis of 2008, money continued to exist channeled to Israel, whose economic system survived the global recession largely unscathed.

Ramzy Baroud

Bated from the seemingly endless "political freebies" that the Trump administration has given Israel in recent years, it is now considering ways to accelerate the timetable of delivering the balance of US funds as adamant by the last agreement, which currently stands at $26.4 billion. According to official congressional documents, the United states of america also may approve additional sales of the F-35 fighter jet, and accelerate delivery of KC-46A refueling and transport aircraft.

These are not the only funds and perks Israel receives. Much more goes unreported since it is channeled indirectly or but promoted under the flexible title of "cooperation."

For example, betwixt 1973 and 1991, $460 million of U.s.a. 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 case, the money was paid to a private clemency, the United State of israel Entreatment, which passes it on to the Jewish Agency. The latter has played a key office in the founding of Israel on summit 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 settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem," according to The New York Times. Much of the money, falsely promoted as donations for educational and religious purposes, ofttimes finds its way to funding and buying housing for illegal settlers, "likewise equally guard dogs, bulletproof vests, rifle scopes and vehicles to secure (illegal Jewish) outposts deep in occupied (Palestinian) areas."

Quite often, US money ends upwards in the Israeli government coffers under false pretenses. For example, the latest stimulus packet includes $50 meg to fund the Nita M. Lowey Middle Eastward Partnership for Peace Funds, supposedly to provide investments in "people-to-people exchanges and economical cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians with the goal of supporting a negotiated and sustainable two-state solution."

Actually, such money serves no item purpose, since Washington and Tel Aviv endeavor to ensure the demise of a negotiated peace agreement and work hand-in-hand to kill the at present-defunct two-state solution.

The list is endless, though most of this coin is not included in the official United states aid packages to State of israel and, therefore, receives little scrutiny, let lonely media coverage.

As of Feb 2019, the Us has withheld all funds to the Palestinian Potency in the West Bank, in add-on to cutting help to the United nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine refugees, the last lifeline providing basic education and health services to millions of displaced people.

Judging past its legacy of back up for the Israeli war machine machine and the colonial expansion in the W Depository financial institution, Washington insists on serving as Israel'southward master benefactor, if not directly partner, while shunning Palestinians altogether. Expecting the US to play a constructive office in achieving a just peace in Palestine shows non just indefensible naivety merely also wilful ignorance.

• Ramzy Baroud is a journalist and the editor of The Palestine Chronicle. He is the author of five books, the latest existence "These Bondage Will Be Broken: Palestinian Stories of Struggle and Defiance in Israeli Prisons" (Clarity Press, Atlanta). Twitter: @RamzyBaroud

Disclaimer: Views expressed by writers in this section are their own and do not necessarily reflect Arab News' signal of view

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

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