Friday, January 31, 2014

USA's Foreign Aid for Israel and other Countries Program

Nadene Goldfoot                                                                   
In 2011, The USA set aside $49.5 billion dollars for foreign aid to other countries.  Back in 2002, only $19,153.10 billion dollars was spent in foreign aid.
                                                                               
 They divide the money into two basic categories of need, military assistance and economic assistance.  In 2011 They spent $17.8 billion on military assistance and $31.7 billion on economic assistance for others out of which $14.1 billion went to USAID.  "The government channels about half of its economic assistance through a specialized agency, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Countries they give the money to are: developing countries, countries of strategic importance to the United States, and countries recovering from war.
           
United States foreign aid to Israel is only 6%.  On top of that, 75% of this 6% must be spent in the United States!  This is the law pertaining to Israel's foreign aid.  The reason for this is that in turn, by spending it in the USA, it creates jobs and boosts America's defense industry.  So if Israel needs a new tank, they are going to buy it from the USA and that helps the USA's economy.
     
Israel receives the FMF aid in a lump sum in the first month of the fiscal year. The funds are placed in an interest bearing account and that interest is used to pay down Israel’s debt to the United States, which was $1 billion as of December 2006.  The Bush Administration in 2007 increased the foreign aid to Israel by $6 billion dollars over a period of 10 years.  From 2013 to 2018 Israel is to receive $3.15 billion per year.  

By the same token, the USA's military, intelligence and homeland security and defense systems benefit from dealing with Israel, for they share their knowledge with the USA.  Israel has created battlefield innovations that have helped the USA improve their equipment and tactics.

USA homeland security and military agencies use Israel's technology to solve their technical problems.

Israel provides invaluable intelligence and training to the US forces in the region.

"No other country in the Middle East advances America's interests like Israel."  It's the only Democratic state there and has been since its inception on May 14, 1948.  "While Israel has been the single largest recipient of U.S. aid since the 1970s, that support has established a two-way street and the United States now cashes in on Israel’s experience and know-how."

From 2011 facts, Israel did receive  the 2nd largest amount out of the top 25 countries that receive aid.  They are:  Afghanistan, Israel, Iraq, Pakistan, Egypt, Haiti, Kenya, Jordan, South Africa, Philippines, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Sudan, Nigeria, Uganda, (West Bank's PA government-which Jews call Judea and Samaria) Columbia, Congo, Mexico, South Sudan, Mozambique, Zambia, Somalia, Liberia, and Indonesia.  Note that out of the 25 countries, 15 are in Africa and 7, counting Egypt again, are from the Middle East.  The top 5 receiving the most are from the Middle East.  Egypt, Israel and Jordan are all neighbors.  Pakistan and Afghanistan are neighbors of each other.   Haiti and the Philippines had suffered from weather factors.  Mexico and Columbia are American continent countries of Central and South America.

Israel had received a total of $3,026.40 million dollars whereas Afghanistan had received $12,924.40.  Egypt had received $1,471.20, and their money was threatened to be halted if they didn't reinstate Morsi, head of the Muslim Brotherhood, as President of Egypt after they had recalled him on the grounds that this was not a very democratic move.  The Palestine Authority received $463.60 million dollars.

One of the retired generals in the Obama Administration was asked a question at a well-known American university about how much foreign aid Israel received and he did not know the answer.  Few people do but have had the mistaken idea that they received almost all of it.  This general went along with an assumption that they got at least 25% of it and that was wrong.  America should educate their military personnel as to where all the money is going and how much is used so that people do not continue to have the wrong ideas.

Resource:  http://www.charismanews.com/opinion/42479-a-complicated-matter-america-s-support-for-israel
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/US-Israel/foreign_aid.html
http://www.mythsandfacts.org/NOQ_OnlineEdition/Chapter17/unitedstatesisrael1.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_foreign_aid

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