[From the archives] 🇮🇱🇺🇸 From Iron Dome to F-15s: US provides 70% of Israel’s war costs

The U.S. government has spent at least $22.76 billion on military aid to Israel from October 7, 2023, to September 30 [2024], according to a report by Brown University’s Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs as part of its Costs of War project. About $17.9 billion was spent on direct military aid to Israel, and $4.86 billion on U.S. military operations in the war zone, including actions against Houthi forces in Yemen, such as deploying aircraft carriers and air defense batteries in the region.

[T]here is no doubt that without American assistance, the government deficit for 2024–2025 - one of the highest in the country’s history - would be about 4.3% more of the GDP - an unmanageable amount. Therefore, it is doubtful that the war would have been conducted in its current intensity or scope without U.S. assistance.

The document highlights Israel’s standing as the country that has received the most U.S. aid since World War II, totaling $251.2 billion over 66 years. Additionally, the aid provided by the Biden administration to Israel over the past year was the highest in the history of relations between the two countries, 25% higher than the second-largest amount - $14 billion in the late 1970s (in real terms, reflecting purchasing power by adjusting for inflation).

Another unique feature differentiating U.S. military aid to Israel from other countries is the allowance to spend up to 25% of the aid on Israeli-produced goods - a privilege the U.S. has granted to no other ally. The authors believe that this provision supports Israel's defense industry, making it one of the most self-sufficient countries militarily while still receiving U.S. assistance.

https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/hktyrfiekl

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