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Oppose Increasing Military Aid to Israel
The provision of military assistance to Israel from the United States is exceptional in many aspects other than its being the largest piece of the foreign aid pie. The special benefits that Israel receives include the using about 25% of U.S. military assistance for military purchases in Israel; receiving all of its assistance in the first 30 days of the fiscal year rather than in 3 or 4 installments as other countries do; and dealing directly with U.S. companies for its military purchases bypassing the Department of Defense review required of other countries. For FY 2001 foreign aid, Israel will receive $1.98 billion in military grants, $840 million in economic grants, and $60 million in refugee and migration funds.
In the course of the Oslo peace process Israel was promised additional military aid in special supplemental budget requests. In 1999, the Administration requested and Congress approved $1.2 billion in supplemental military aid to Israel to implement the October 1998 Wye Agreement despite the fact that Israel was not completing the called for withdrawals from occupied territory. On November 14, 2000, President Clinton requested another emergency supplemental appropriation for FY2001 for $450 million for Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon and an additional $350 million grant to Israel for FY2002. These were not included in the appropriations bill that Congress sent to the President on December 15, 2000. It is not clear what happened to this emergency supplemental appropriations request, but it is likely to re-emerge in the new Congress.
In addition to the military assistance provided as foreign aid, the U.S. provides funds to Israel through defense budget appropriations. Since 1988, the U.S. has provided Israel with more than $628 million in grants for research and development of the Arrow anti-missile missile. Israel deployed the first battery of Arrow missiles on March 14, 2000. "Defense News" reported in February that Israel is planning to ask the U.S. for a special $700 million five-year aid package for the Arrow anti-ballistic missile program. And, Israel will ask the U.S. to permit Israeli companies to participate in the National Missile Defense Program.
As we all learned in civics class, it is the role of Congress to control the government's purse strings. Yet on the day before George W. Bush's inauguration, in what the International Jerusalem Post called "Clinton's Parting Gift," a memorandum of understanding (called "non-binding" in some press reports) was signed by the U.S. and Israel that agreed to increase military aid to Israel by $60 million a year until it reaches $2.4 billion by 2008. This agreement was reached in the 1998-99 financial year, but not put on paper until now.
Members of Congress need to hear that citizens object to promises being made that seem to commit our government to increase military aid to Israel into the future. Please make the following points in your letters and E-mails to your representative and two senators; then send a copy to the State Department. Addresses are at the end of this message.
1. If it is Congress that controls government spending, how can the Executive branch make a promise to increase military aid to Israel in future years? The Memorandum of Understanding signed by Assistant Secretary of State Edward Walker and Israeli Ambassador David Ivry in January should not be accepted by Congress. Furthermore, members of the current Congress cannot make commitments on how a future Congress allocates foreign aid.
2. The initiative of Israel to reduce the economic portion of its foreign aid by $120 million a year until it is eliminated in 2008 is a step in the right direction. However, Congress should maintain control over how those foreign aid funds are reallocated. Fifty percent of Israel's economic aid decrease should not be added to its military aid as it requested.
You may want to add one of the following points as well:
A recent University of Maryland poll shows that Americans overwhelmingly support foreign aid in principle and strong majorities want to increase it to feed the hungry, help women and children, aid Africa and promote the Peace Corps. The survey also found strong support for aid to poor countries to help them educate students and develop their economies. But only 27% support military aid in general, about the same percentage as those who support aid to Israel and Egypt.
The economic aid that goes to Israel should be restructured so that it is administered and made accountable consistent with the rules and procedures that are applied to every other recipient of U.S. foreign aid. Israel's economic aid should be directed toward economic and human development programs for Israel's most needy people, including Israeli Arabs, and toward projects that promote reconciliation within Israel and the implementation of peace agreements made by Israel with its neighbors.
The use by Israel of U.S.-supplied helicopter gunships and ammunition against Palestinian civilians during the current conflict and against the civilian electrical grid in Lebanon has been strongly criticized by U.S. church leaders. On February 20, the State Department initiated a review of potential Israeli violations of the arms export law by its use of U.S. weapons to assassinate Palestinians. Press articles say that Apaches, of which Israel has 42 of the older models, were used to fire missiles at the cars of Palestinians. The State Department's investigation comes just as Israel has signed a deal to purchase nine AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopters, using $500 million of U.S. military grant money. The required approval by the U.S. government should be denied.
If your members of Congress are on the Senate or House Appropriations Committees, your advocacy is especially important. You can find E-mail addresses on the "Thomas" Web site which is a great source of information on Congress, the members and the status of legislation. When the Foreign Operations subcommittees, which deal with foreign aid, of the Appropriations committees are selected you can find that list on this site as well. http://thomas.loc.gov/
Contact Information:
The Hon. (First Name Last Name)
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Senator (Last Name):
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The Hon. (First Name Last Name)
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Representative (Last Name)