As America welcomes its new president, it provides us with an opportunity to see exactly how much his predecessors have given to Israel over the years. During Israel’s first 60 years since 1948, America has $150 billion, representing 75% of the GNP today stands at $188 billion.
The late Golda Meir, as a minister in 1948, raised $50 million from American Jews. From 1974-2008, Israel received security grants totaling $80 billion, with $2.4 billion coming from President Richard Nixon to cover weapons shipments during the Yom Kippur War. An addition $70 billion was given in the form of loans taken in the 1970s and 1980s. In 1986, Israel received $1.5 billion in aid to bail out the economy.
Following the First Gulf War in 1991, America gave a grant of $250 million, a reward for Prime Minister Yitzchak Shamir’s adherence to calls for a policy of restraint. From 2000-2003, Israel received grants totaling $2.31 billion; connected to the Wye Plantation negotiations, part of America’s master plan against global terrorism.
In the 1990s, America gave loan guarantees towards assisting in funding the massive aliyah from the Former Soviet Union. Aid packages were canceled in 2008 and Israel is slated to receive security funding to the tune of $29.85 billion from 2009-2018.
In short, when Israel agrees to adhere to American policy decisions and aspirations, Jerusalem is rewarded.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
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6 Responses
the american flag is mirror-imaged. please correct it. its not proper respect for a country that has done so much good for our people. thanks.
are all these figures in 2009 dollar terms, or are they unadjusted for inflation? this translates to a few $bn a year, a fraction of the tax paid by US Jews, and a small percentage of Israeli GDP.
The money was targetted at building up the Israeli elites (secular, Ashkenazi, tied to the major political parties), not to mention that much of it was in the form of credit buy overpriced American goods (thereby depriving Israeli workers of jobs, remember how the US paid Israel to buy American airplanes rather than cheaper and better Israeli ones).
To a certain extent, it was a bribe to the Israelis not to hurt the Arab states allied with the US (e.g. knocking out the oil producing states that fund terrorism).
and some of it was truely tsadakah (though most countries’ government-sponsored aid is usually something else)
Money that was well invested by America. There are so many other countries that don’t appreciate it at all. Rabbi Kahane said it’s not normal to receive the money but I disagree. The main problem is the carrot-and-stick policy by the US. Our State Dept and government uses the money to influence the Israeli people to make decisions that are mostly very harmful to Israel.
A goy, Gerry Mullen
Pennies, my friends. Look how easily $350 Billion was spent in a few weeks! And the only purpose that spenditure had was to make 350 people into billionaires. It’s interesting to see how America counts its pennies but fritters away its dollars.
and when the funding is shut off? who’s going to pay to fight our enemies? let’s realize who’s really protecting and watching us and stop pandering for a few bucks