The United States and Israel signed a defense aid agreement last Wednesday that promises Israel US$38 billion over 10 years, from 2019 through 2028. The premise of this deal allows Israel to boost their security in what both term as a “hostile neighborhood”.
US President Barack Obama issued a special message after the deal was signed, stressing that it demonstrated the US's commitment to Israel's security in word and deed.
"Both Prime Minister Netanyahu and I are confident that the new MOU will make a significant contribution to Israel’s security in what remains a dangerous neighborhood," Obama said. "The continued supply of the world’s most advanced weapons technology will ensure that Israel has the ability to defend itself from all manner of threats."
Details of the deal
- US$ 3.8 billion; US$ 500 million on developing missile defense systems
- Israel cannot to approach Congress for additional budgets, unless war breaks out
- Israel can ask for additional aid on security issues
- Israel will immediately stop using 14 percent of the American aid to buy fuel
Obama’s legacy?
The Guardian, The New York Times, and the Associated Press all reported that "the Obama administration has been eager to lock in the agreement before leaving office to help bolster Obama's legacy and undercut the criticism that his administration was insufficiently supportive of Israel".
However, the US$3.8 per annum was hardly a significant upgrade from what Israel already receives from US. In 2015, the US Congress gave Israel $620m for missile defense, on top of what the country provides in other forms of aid. American taxpayers give Israel $10.2 million per day in 2015. Over the last 20 years, the U.S. has been slowly phasing out economic aid to Israel and gradually replacing it with increased military aid.
So, how is business as usual termed as Obama’s last efforts to leave a legacy?
Why Israel?
Since the formation of Israel in 1949, as a safe haven for Jews all across the world, US has been the most ardent supporter of the newly formed state. US have over the years provided economic and military aid; the relationship is akin to that of the relationship between a sugar daddy and a sugar baby.
Journalist Alison Wier’s “Against Our Better Judgement” shows the vigilant pro-Israel lobby that steadily works in the US to promote the Israeli cause, push pro-Israeli bills through the House and Senate and most importantly, discredit and destroy any politicians that have a sympathetic view of Middle East and the plight of Palestine. The book also show how the media is controlled by pro-Jewish groups who are more than happy to flay any Israeli opposition on all forms of media. The book is a fascinating read and I would recommend it for a deeper understanding on the crisis.
While the Obama administration is patting themselves on the back on the successful conclusion of the MOU, it had come under fire from various groups in Israel and US, who claim Israel could have gotten more. Former Prime Minister, Ehud Barak’s criticism was first to condemn the current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In an op-ed for Washington Post, Barak said the deal was indicative of the level of mistrust between the two administrations and far less than what Israel could have gotten if Netanyahu had not interfered in US politics.
Others have criticized that this money could have been used to improve the economy and the social sector in the US. The US decision to invest heavily into Israel is becoming increasingly unpopular with most of the younger generation opposing the occupation. A Brookings poll showed that roughly half of Democrats who responded said Israel has too much influence on the United States government. Boycott, divest, and sanction movements, which call on organizations in the United States and abroad to cut their financial ties with Israel, have long been popular on college campuses. The BDS movement got an unexpected boost from the Black Lives Matter movement, which included statements against Israel’s treatment of Palestinians in its recently released policy platform.
So it would seem that irrespective of the impact on US, both domestic and international, US will keep on investing into Israel.
“A hostile neighborhood”
Israel has always historically claimed that they have been at the mercy of “hostile neighbors”. In the past 67 years, the hostile neighbors have ranged from Palestinians, PLO, Iran, Syria and of late IS. Forget that PLO is a smidge of what it used to be. Forget that Palestinians have been at the mercy of wars that have destroyed their social fabric, infrastructure. Forget that Syria had made no moves towards Israel. Forget that IS had failed to make a single attack on Israel while they had attacked almost every major European nation.
So who is this enemy Israel has been preparing their military arsenal for the past 20 years? Iran? Iran was totally drained by its 1980s war against Iraq, and by US dual containment in the 1990s. And as of this year, the Iran nuclear deal has put Iran’s nuclear program to rest, at least for decades.
It’s no secret that Iran nuclear deal had been decried by Israel, with some claiming the deal would have far reaching consequences to Israel. But does it warrant the level of defense spending?
Avigdor Lieberman
Avigdor Lieberman, the Soviet-born, West Bank-settled politician, is heading the department that will put the funding to use. The hardliner and Netanyahu loyalist, is extremely critical of any policy that goes against Israeli interests. This was demonstrated when he resigned a year after appointed as Chief of Staff for Netanyahu in 1996. He had resigned in protest over his boss’s acquiescence to a U.S.-brokered, Israeli-Palestinian agreement known as the Wye River Memorandum.
He advocates death penalty for Palestinians who kill Israelis. His solution to the conflict proposed stripping Palestinians of their citizenship, questioning their loyalty. Some have likened him to Ariel Sharon, which doesn’t give any indications that he will seek a moderate path in the conflict.
When he was appointed to the position, Khaldoun Barghouti, the international news editor of Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, a daily newspaper affiliated with Mahmoud Abbas’s Palestine Liberation Organization told TIME that this would “expose the real face of Israeli right wing Government”.
Handing over additional funding, even though the amount is not a significant increase, to a hardliner such as Lieberman will ensure that each penny is spent on arming the nation against “threats”.
All in all, this is hardly an indication that the stalled peace talks will resume or that peace will ever come to fruition any time soon.
