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July 2002
Foreign Aid to Israel – Talking Points
Foreign Aid to Israel -- As Israel is continually attacked by ongoing
Palestinian terrorist assaults, aid to Israel is more important than ever.
Foreign aid presents many benefits to Israel’s safety and security and to
Middle East stability. It has helped secure peace between Egypt and
Israel, has strengthened Israel’s qualitative military edge so that it can
defend itself and serve as a deterrent to aggression in the region.
Foreign aid continues to advance U.S. interests in the region here and at
home.
Talking Points
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Foreign aid strengthens Israel’s position in the world
and sends a signal to Arab countries about the permanence and strength of
Israel and its relations with the United States.
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Support for democracies like Israel is the essential
goal of U.S. foreign policy. Foreign aid supports our only democratic ally
in the Middle East, Israel.
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Foreign aid strengthens U.S. national security in a
changing world. Israel is a loyal ally of the United States and can be
counted on to continue to be our staunchest ally in the future.
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U.S.- Israel security cooperation is well-entrenched
and has yielded tremendous benefits for both nations -- from intelligence
sharing to joint military exercises to cooperative technology development
to anti-terrorism efforts.
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Foreign aid is critical to maintaining Israel’s
qualitative edge. Israel is required to spend an inordinate amount of its
budget on defense, as well as large sums on absorbing olim. Arab states
have drastically outspent Israel on arms, more than 33 to 1. Billions of
dollars worth of weaponry has been sold to Arab states by many countries.
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85% of all aid to Israel is spent right here in the
United States, creating jobs and boosting the economies of more than 43
states.
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Foreign aid is a vital tool for promoting U.S. economic
and security interests abroad. At less than 1% of the U.S. budget, foreign
aid is a cost-effective way to strengthen allies, promote democracy,
achieve humanitarian goals, and protects U.S. interests overseas.
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Foreign aid opens up new markets for U.S. export.
Today, exports to foreign aid recipients account for over one-third of
total U.S. exports, and more than half of U.S. agriculture exports.
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See also “U.S. Assistance to Israel” at
www.aipac.org/assistance.pdf
- excellent summary.
NOTE:
Aid to Israel is included within the overall foreign aid bill. It is
important to advocate for foreign aid in general because a Member must
vote for the overall foreign aid bill in order to support aid to Israel.
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