What is the history and status of US support of Israel?
There are many reasons for the strong bond between the US and Israel, on many levels. The fundamental moral and philosphical basis for the support is explained very well in the article A Nation Like Ours: Why Americans stand with Israel by David Gelernter, referenced in the Sources section at the bottom of the page. On a practical level, the following sections review various dimensions of the US support.
Political Support
The US was the first country to recognize Israel, only minutes after it was officially created in 1948, consistent with a 1922 Congressional resolution backing the League of Nations mandate for a Jewish homeland in Palestine. Since then, the two countries have developed a rock-solid friendship that does not depend on the parties in power either in Washington or Jerusalem. While there have certainly been ups and downs, the basic bond between the US and Israel, the only country in the Middle East that resembles the US in its values and democracy, is very strong. Both countries have long-recognized that their mutual interests of deterring war, promoting stability and eventually achieving peace are only possible if the United States continues to stand firmly behind Israel.
United Nations
In the United Nations, the United States did not cast its first veto until 1972, on a Syrian-Lebanese complaint against Israel. From 1967-72, the U.S. supported or abstained on 24 resolutions, most critical of Israel. From 1973-2000, the Security Council adopted approximately 90 resolutions on the Middle East, again, most critical of Israel. The U.S. vetoed a total of 33 resolutions and, hence, supported the Council’s criticism of Israel by its vote of support or by abstaining roughly two-thirds of the time. The United Nations has been generally hostile to Israel and often the US was her sole defender in the world body. Israel has returned the friendship by voting soldily with the US on virtually all issues.
Military Cooperation
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US Government Photo |
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US Sec. of Defense Wm. Cohen |
After Israel became an independent country in 1948, the United States joined an embargo on weapons sales to Israel, the 1949 Tripartite Agreement on weapons. Although the US sold hundreds of millions of dollars in weaponry to Arab states during the 1950s and early 1960s, there were no sales to Israel until 1962 when the US agreed to sell to Israel its first significant American system, the HAWK anti-aircraft missile.
American military involvement with Israel remained sporadic until the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Following an Egyptian refusal to accept a cease-fire and a Soviet military airlift to the Arab states, the Nixon Administration sent a United States airlift of weapons and supplies to Israel enabling her to recover from earlier setbacks. Starting on October 14, 1973 US Air Force “Operation Nickel Grass” flew resupply missions to Israel for a full month.
As a direct result of the Yom Kippur War, the United States quadrupled its foreign aid to Israel, and replaced France as Israel’s largest arms supplier. The doctrine of maintaining Israel’s “qualitative edge” over its neighbors was born in the war’s aftermath. This was based both on US appreciation of Israel’s role as a defender of Western values in a generally hostile region, and also on the Cold War calculus of opposing the Arab client states of the Soviet Union.
In the following decades, Israel and the US worked together to counter the greatest threats to American interests in the Middle East. These threats include the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction by rogue regimes; state-sponsored terrorism; the potential disruption of access to Middle East oil; and the spread of Islamic adicalism.
Cooperation has extended to programs for sharing cutting-edge technology and valuable intelligence; conducting joint military exercises; researching and developing new weapons; establishing joint anti-terrorism strategies; and pre-positioning materiel in Israel for use in the event the US ever needs to respond quickly to a future Middle East conflict.
In the 1990s, Israel and the US collaborated on a theater ballistic missile defense system, the ARROW, vital to Israel to defend against missile from nearby hostile Arab countries. Israel’s missile defenses were integrated with US capabilities, including enhanced interoperability and upgraded regional early warning systems.
Economic Cooperation
In 1951 the US provided the first aid to Israel, $65 million to help Israel take in Holocaust survivors and endangered Jews from Arab lands. Within 3 years, Israel’s 650,000 Jews absorbed 600,000 refugees from Europe and the Arab nations.
There has been economic aid to Israel every year since 1949, with the amounts fluctuating, generally increasing as the cooperation with Israel became closer or in years when Israel was forced to fight defensive wars or terrorism. From 1960 until 1985, there were no grants; aid consisted largely of loans, which Israel repaid, and surplus commodities, which Israel bought. The reference “U.S. Assistance to Israel” gives a table of annual amounts. The aid to other countries in the region has also increased and is similar in total amount. Much of the aid to Israel is for defense and the money is actually spent with U.S. suppliers so it recycles back to the United States.
Israel is one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world. Several binational programs allow American companies and universities to benefit from Israel?s expertise in agriculture and high technology, while others aim to break down barriers to trade and cooperation between the two countries to make collaboration easier. Israel was the first country to sign a free trade agreement with the US, which has resulted in a quintupling of trade between the two countries. The US-Israel Free Trade Agreement (FTA) has served as a model for other trade agreements including the October 2000 FTA between the US and Jordan.
For many years Israel received US financial and military assistance in a combined total of about $3 billion, divided into $1.2 billion in economic assistance and $1.8 billion in military aid. As the Israeli economy grew, and Soviet-era refugees were absorbed, the need for the aid package decreased. In recent years the economic aid has been reduced, while the military package has grown a little since the start of the al-Aqsa intifada.
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Israeli heritage is to steal and kill and rape; it’s all in the Bible. But it is ok for some goat herder said they were the chosen people, right? Lies to gullible people. Or were they? They got the spoils, the virgins and
the protection of Rome after being punished for slaughtering none Jewish people. Rome protected the right to religion in its pagan period. All Roman religions were equal and there were no wars because of religion except the Jews killing non Jews. It is a lie that Jews were persecuted by Rome
That land belonged to Israel before the Muslim religion was ever thought of
religion should not be a deciding factor in who is right or wrong in this debate. Israel has committed heinous crimes against Palestinians. the conditions are similar to apartheid, as far as i am concerned. there should be no “the bible says” or the “Koran says.” killing innocents in the guise of upholding “justice” is wrong. taking away a people’s right to their own land is wrong. no matter what religion.
All the answers are reveled in a great book, “The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.” Mr. Gibbon reveals how the world was completely changed by the Jews and their descendents, the Christians and the Muslims. The Bible says it all but people have been “trained” to read of mass slaughters and think it was proper!!! The Jews hated and still hate (though now they have learned to hide it, as the Muslims have stupidly reveal their hatred of all others. This idea first came from the written of the Jewish “holly books” The Christians followed that teaching as did the Muslims. They hate all that are not Jews. Yes, they would slaughter whole towns and the Romans would slaughter the Jews for doing it, then give the Jews back their rights so they could do it all again.
Then Constantine make Christianity the Roman religion and the world started to kill itself. Before that, during the Pagan years, all religions were treated with respect and they all respected each other. When Rome, as it did with Carthage, concord a nation, It would have ceremonies to bring the defeated gods to Rome. There were no “Religious” wars. Now most wars are the result of that the idea that one religion is the only “true” religion. Religion poisons everything and has since the Jews claimed “the promised land.” over the dead bodies of the people living there. And it continues today because of the Balfour? declaration got the Jews back in power to steal and kill their way to power. And the Jewish fanatics are at it now, hoping to use their nuclear power to raise the Jews to start “Armageddon?”
Read the Bible (the all time best seller and least read book) and the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire’s parts about the way the Jews and Christians were treated and why Rome was so easy on the Jews. The Romans respected the Jews and hated the Jewish religion because it was the opposite of Roman religious philosophy of treating them lawfully. But the Jews hated everyone that wasn’t a Jew and the Christians followed the Jewish law of stealing from and killing the peoples those land they wanted. The bible says to do that and Jesus said that you should hate all, even yourselves or you could not become his disciples. It is in black and white but because it comes from their “HOLLY BOOK” it goes right over peoples heads. Hate, not love, is their practice
and it goes on today as it did yesterday and will tomorrow, with United States backing of Israel and what is called “Blow Back” from U.S. actions that were designed to rid the democracies and put in puppet states that prayed on their people for the benefit of American foreign policy. And like Rome we are headed for a big surprise folks
Israelis in general are high degree people. Most of them support ,” land for peace”. But do you think is it easy to talk about peace with people that don’t recognize your right to exist? I’m married with the grandson of an Austrian nazi officer and I know the history for both side of the Second War II. By the way, I’m Christian Zionist. Viele Grüse von Österreich!
State of Israel come with the help of USA. if the United States can help of Israel .at the time Israel can not Creations. the United States help the Israel in 1802 .
The US support to Israel in Every Field Like.
1. Political Support
2. League of Nations
3. UNO…
4. Economical support…
5. Military supports…..
Plain and simple. Israel is a U.S. client state and the weapons we sold to the Arabs were WWII surplus we wanted to get rid of. any modern weapons were sold only to U.S. client states like Iran and the Shah who would use the weapons to suppress their people. Weapons to Israel were to suppress non-jews and make war for the Benefit of America. But Israel has stabbed US in the back and our government just stays out of the way as long as they can claim neutrality. LOL
Regardless of what religion you’re from, no state should be exterminated and completely obliterated because one state hates it and its culture, as Iran threatens. How is this DIFFERENT from the Holocaust? Should we keep supporting Israel? Or should we play isolationist again for another year while another 6 million get persecuted? It’s just wrong. Sometimes you stand up for what’s right even when it’s the harder thing to do. If not we’re all doomed to blow ourselves up anyways.
I’ve appreciated Jimmy Carter’s and Ron Paul’s take on it, the US should NOT provide aid to Israel while the occupation/oppression of the Palestinians continue. It seems our US politicians are being b*tches about pandering to the Jewish claims of “innocence”. We are doing the same thing the fundamentalist Muslim radicals are doing to support the Palestinians (perhaps some Iranian factions). What the Israelis are doing is wrong; just wrong, but they are doing it out of a somewhat founded fear. I think they should have positive defensive control over the valley to Jordan. They need the airspace to defend from newer long-range technological advances. And seeing as though the long brewed hatred has quelled the possibility of a cohabitation nation… maybe the Palestinians should migrate to one of the many surrounding Muslim nations that would take them. I hear the Muslim Brotherhood is doing great in recent Egyptian elections. (it’s not like they’d be welcome anywhere in the area, and com’on, that Bible claim to land is far far older than the Quran’s claim to the region.)
The Israels practiced it first then the Christians then the muslims. They all learned it from Israel and its “HOllY BOOK.” It should be called the jewish aparthide killing book. What a monster that sheep herder used to control the Hebrews.
riligion is a loie and so are the peoples who use religion to justify their hatred of anyone not of their brand of foolishness
its pathetic how Jews think they are the chosen ones and its more pathetic how they keep on making people and countries sympathize with them because of the holocaust …… i don’t get it if you hated it when you get killed for no reason just because your from another country or religion why did you kill the babies and women the elders the kids in Gaza ? i just want to ask you WHY?
because they practice the same lies that the Muslims and Christian do.
false faith in false religions. There is no sky fairy only the heaven and hell you make while you live.
Religion accomplishes a lot of terror that builds on itself.
It’s not so that Jews think they are better. To understand the importance of aid to Israel you have to know the history of Jews and Muslims. Primarily the heritage of Hussein and bin laden. If you know history it is unquestionable the Jews are Gods first chosen. Sadam and laden come from those decendents and it is in their blood to fight for their inheritance. Israel is the only extension we have in the middle east and when Israel starts getting attacked vigorously look for the end. There is no peace in the middle east and Israel and the US know this therefore we both work to stop mass destruction from extreme Muslims. Israel now has about 40% of the Jews/descendants from holocaust and under the law of return it will increase. It is spiritual and deep history why we support them.
most countries of the world hate Israel. The Bible says that they are God’s chosen people. I believe that they are being targeted because of their heritage. However., i believe that Israel is the one that is making America rich and not the other way around
I would like to ask anyone who really thinks they are ‘Gods chosen people’ and no one else is how they think they are better than anyone else. I sure hope most Jews don’t believe they really are better than anyone else, just like i sure hope anyone, no matter what religion, thinks they are. With the treatment of Palestinians in Gaza, West Bank, and refugees in neighboring countries by the Israeli military- I find them to have much lower ethical and moral standards.
Read this quote from Norman Finkelstein’s book- Image and Reality of the Israel- Palestine conflict- “To repress Palestinian resistance, a senior Israeli officer earlier this year urged the army to “analyze and internalize the lessons of…how the German army fought in the Warsaw ghetto.” (Haaretz, 25 January 2002, 1 February 2002) Judging by the recent Israeli carnage in the West Bank – the targeting of Palestinian ambulances and medical personnel, the targeting of journalists, the killing of Palestinian children “for sport” (Chris Hedges, New York Times former Cairo bureau chief), the rounding up, handcuffing and blindfolding of all Palestinian males between the ages 15 and 50, and affixing of numbers on their wrists, the indiscriminate torture of Palestinian detainees, the denial of food, water, electricity, and medical assistance to the Palestinian civilian population, the indiscriminate air assaults on Palestinian neighborhoods, the use of Palestinian civilians as human shields, the bulldozing of Palestinian homes with the occupants huddled inside – it appears that the Israeli army is following the officer’s advice. (page xxiii)
I don’t think the United States would spend 8.2 million dollars of tax money per day to support a country that wasn’t going to give us anything back. We are capitalist. We didn’t want the displaced Jews here from the Holocaust because we are also a Christian country, so we sent them to live with the Arabs, good idea right?? *sarcasm*
Above comment is the most uneducated I have read in a long time. LMAO Their heritage is one on killing and stealing from the time some goat herder but that awful fable in writing and word of mouth, the idea that some sky fairy told them to do it. Don’t forget rape of any virgin. These thieves were special people all right. And there followers went for it as they got the profits and sex all in one, with free killing of anyone that was not a Jew. When the Bible says, “Thou shalt not kill,” it means the Jews are not to kill other Jews. It’s freedom to kill and an order to kill anyone who is not a Jew. I’m not saying that. Their own writings tell them that and Rome would slaughter them in return for there slaughter of whole towns, but then would let them go on living under Roman law that protected all religions. Of course the Jews took full advantage of Roman law. To hear them tell it they were persecuted by the Romans. That lie has come down to present time. But now there is no law to protect those that Israels kill and steal from, so they do it with U.S help and weapons. Even nuclear technology. Americas biggest mistake and we will pay dearly for thinking they will do our bidding. They will do their own bidding; aren’t they the chosen people?
And Israel would have collapsed long ago without all the grants and no pay back loans American has given them. Even now their economy is in taters.