Israel is the largest recipient of United States foreign assistance by a long shot, receiving more than $121 billion in aid through the years. Here’s a look at U.S. aid to Israel by the numbers:
In 2014, the U.S. is giving Israel just over $3 billion, with almost all of the assistance going to the Israeli military. The funding is part of a 10-year, $30 billion military aid package crafted by the Bush Administration that runs from 2009 to 2019, and President Barack Obama said during a 2013 visit to Israel that the U.S. plans to continue funding Israel at current levels.
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On top of the 10-year aid package, the U.S. provides hundreds of millions of dollars for development of Israel’s Iron Dome anti-rocket system. This year, the U.S. gave $235 million for research and development of the Iron Dome system, and when border skirmishes intensified in August, the Obama administration proposed and Congress agreed to an emergency cash infusion of $225 million to fast-track the defense project. The 2015 budget has $176 million earmarked for Iron Dome.
Strong congressional support for U.S. aid to Israel has led to the country receiving U.S. benefits unavailable to other allies. Most nations receiving U.S. aid get the money in installment payments throughout the year, but the CRS reports Israel receives all of its assistance in a lump sum in the first 30 days of the fiscal year.
The mushrooming costs of supporting and defending Israel have led some groups to lobby Congress to scale back the aid. The U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation is asking lawmakers to limit U.S. weapons to sovereign Israeli territory and tying U.S. aid to a freeze on settlements in the West Bank or a lift of import restrictions on Gaza. So far the group has had little traction.
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