I thought Israel knew about the imminent attack in 1973 but the U.S. aid "no dice; do NOT be the first to attack" and that's why it was so bad for Israel. My understand is that it's always better to attack as soon as you detect a build-up; take the enemy by surprise and cut them off at the knees.
Hey Jerry, you are right, Israel could live without it, but it would severely hamper standard of living. There is also a significant amount of aid that doesn’t show up in that 1% number. For example, weapon sales to Israel, countries often pay the weapons manufacturers directly and then transfer the weapons and you are not seeing that in the numbers.
Since world war 2 it’s been about 300 billion. Almost a third of that was in 1949 as part of the Marshal Plan. It’s also worth noting that neighboring countries like Jordan and Egypt also receive significant amounts of aid from the US.
I believe US aid to Israel, which is primarily military aid, is important for US national security interests. We largely have the same enemies as Bibi recently pointed out when he came to Washington. That said, I think Israel should get creative about ways to reduce dependency on foreign aid that limits their autonomy.
One crazy is idea I have is levying a small voluntary income tax on diaspora Jews who believe Israel is essential for their own safety. Military alliances and defense contracts with a growing list of allies in the Middle East, like Saudi Arabia potentially, could also be a longer term longer term solution.
Thanks for reading this and sharing your thoughts.
Thank you, but I was very fortunate to serve during a time of relative peace and feel like I did very little compared to many others, especially those serving now. Enjoy your Shabbat as well and thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts.
Agreed! Paragraph 1: that is my understanding as well. Paragraph 2: Absolutely, Israel should NOT be dependent on the US for any parts. Let me add that it is also my understanding that the U.S. profits from Israel's use of these items in the field, during war. It'a akin to "testing" if you will. It's also been said in an essay here that the U.S. receives a lot of intelligence from Israel, intelligence re all parts of the world. Israel should be leveraging that; less support in the UN, less intelligence shared.
The best defense is a good offense. The best skill is knowing when to use it.
It is vital for Israel's survival.
I thought Israel knew about the imminent attack in 1973 but the U.S. aid "no dice; do NOT be the first to attack" and that's why it was so bad for Israel. My understand is that it's always better to attack as soon as you detect a build-up; take the enemy by surprise and cut them off at the knees.
Autonomy to make good decisions is crucial.
Hey Jerry, you are right, Israel could live without it, but it would severely hamper standard of living. There is also a significant amount of aid that doesn’t show up in that 1% number. For example, weapon sales to Israel, countries often pay the weapons manufacturers directly and then transfer the weapons and you are not seeing that in the numbers.
Since world war 2 it’s been about 300 billion. Almost a third of that was in 1949 as part of the Marshal Plan. It’s also worth noting that neighboring countries like Jordan and Egypt also receive significant amounts of aid from the US.
I believe US aid to Israel, which is primarily military aid, is important for US national security interests. We largely have the same enemies as Bibi recently pointed out when he came to Washington. That said, I think Israel should get creative about ways to reduce dependency on foreign aid that limits their autonomy.
One crazy is idea I have is levying a small voluntary income tax on diaspora Jews who believe Israel is essential for their own safety. Military alliances and defense contracts with a growing list of allies in the Middle East, like Saudi Arabia potentially, could also be a longer term longer term solution.
Thanks for reading this and sharing your thoughts.
Thank you, but I was very fortunate to serve during a time of relative peace and feel like I did very little compared to many others, especially those serving now. Enjoy your Shabbat as well and thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts.
Agreed! Paragraph 1: that is my understanding as well. Paragraph 2: Absolutely, Israel should NOT be dependent on the US for any parts. Let me add that it is also my understanding that the U.S. profits from Israel's use of these items in the field, during war. It'a akin to "testing" if you will. It's also been said in an essay here that the U.S. receives a lot of intelligence from Israel, intelligence re all parts of the world. Israel should be leveraging that; less support in the UN, less intelligence shared.