Money Between Israel and USA

One of the first things I hear from people in the states is that Israel costs Americans money and our tax dollars shouldn't go to Israel.

From 1989, the former Soviet Union allowed more than 400,000 Jews to emigrate to Israel. Absorption of these new immigrants was of the highest priority in Israel and of course cost them money, about $50 billion over five years.

By 1972 Congress had funds to help resettle them, and by 1990 lawmakers aproved $400 million in loan guarantees to house them in Israel. These were not grants. Not one penny of US government funds were transferred to Israel. The US just cosigned loans for Israel that allowed it to get better financing from private American banks. They had no effect on domestic programs or guarantees and no impact on taxpayers. Israel has never defaulted on its loans.

Also, much of the money Irael borrows usually is spent in the USA to buy American goods. Each year Israel gives a full detailed report on the expenditure of all US assistance and provides written assurances that it would not direct or settle Soviet Jews in Judea or Samaria. There is no problem with this as the Russian Jews I met all wanted to live in Tel Aviv where the theater or symphonies were playing. They were used to such things in Russia. In 1991 only 1.2 % of Soviet Jews wanted to move to a rural area such as this. Mostly, it's the orthodox or religious Jews who chose to live in these places.

Resource: Myths and Facts by Mitchell Bard, page 243-244.

Truman's Backing Israel Pays Dividends

Joe Biden told Israel two years ago to get over Iran's having nuclear power, which shows no understanding at all of the danger this puts Israel in, since its president has sworn to wipe Israel off the map. In 1982 Biden threatened Prime Minister Begin to cut off aid to Israel because of Israeli settlements in Judea and Samaria that were being built. Begin told him that America cannot impose what we must or must not do. Truman backed the need for Israel in 1948 and this seems like a miracle now, with the sullen attitudes of Americans who are not familiar with the benefits of having Israel in their midst.

Israel alone in the Middle East has its main ties with the US. This is shown by voting in the UN with the USA. It has helped the US security. Without Israel, Washington would have to have aircraft carriers and tens of thousands of American servicemen in the eastern side of the Mediterranean to protect the USA. This would cost tens of billions of dollars each year.

By it's commerical enterprises, Israel has a high tech industry that has developed the most advanced microprocessors, chips, window operating systems, voice mail, instant messaging and cellular technologies, coding and decoding devices, medical implements and pharmaceuticals. Most of these have been melded into the US industry, helping us to live more comfortably, and giving us a competitive edge by helping to increase our working Americans with jobs.

US Military systems have been upgraded by help from Israel's war-proven experience. F-16 includes more than 600 Israeli modifications. This saved US mega-billion dollars and many years of research and development. Our USA military systems are due to Israel's developments which in turn is why many countries choose to buy American products.

Israel has had more experience than any country in fighting terrorism, car bombs, explosive devices like IED's, and homocide bombings and has shared their findings with US troops on their way to Iraq and Afghanistan and also with US homeland security agencies. In this way Israel has helped to reduce our losses and keep terrorism on US soil from happening.

Israel is a net producer, not a net consumer of national security. It's been a two-way street. Israel has not only paid back loans, but is now in a position of aiding America in so many of these ways. Don't ever think that backing Israel has been a mistake. It's to America's credit that they performed a good deed by helping a deserving country to be born again, whose only desire is to perform good deeds themselves, and naturally, to live in freedom and peace.

Reference: Yoram Ettinger, former Israeli Ambassador to the USA found in Portland Hadassah bulletin Vol 6 (Elul 5768/Tishrei 5769)
Time Magazine July 5, 1982.
Jerusalem Post March 13, 1992