#US Aid to Israel

[eretzyisrael]

BY JACOB SIEGELAND and LIEL LEIBOVITZ

The Israeli political class has known about the lopsided reality of the U.S.-Israel arrangement for some time, but for the past eight or nine years seems to have decided the farce had some value. For them, U.S. aid is valuable not because it is a good deal for Israel’s military-tech complex, but because the appearance of close strategic alignment with the U.S. serves as a public, tangible pledge, renewed annually, of Great Power backing, in a world that is largely hostile to the country’s existence. Even now, as it’s clear from Washington’s courtship of Iran that U.S. security pledges no longer mean what they once did (ask the Afghans, or before them the Vietnamese, Cambodians, and a long list of other former recipients of U.S. military aid), the value of these pledges to Israel has been based on the belief that other parties believe in them—and are therefore constrained accordingly. The point is for the world’s only hyperpower to be seen publicly putting a big diamond ring on Israel’s finger, even if the diamond is actually made of glass. The more “special” the relationship appears to others, the better.

As the price of its dependency, Israel is now being forced to downgrade its own defense industries. Whereas the previous MOU contained a special provision for Off-Shore Procurement (OSP) that allowed Israel to spend around 26% of the aid it received on domestic products, the new terms require that all aid received from Washington be spent inside the U.S. In 2018, Israel’s Defense Ministry projected that the new MOU would cost the country $1.3 billion annually in lost revenue and cause the loss of some 22,000 jobs. Moshe Gafni, a former chairman of the Knesset’s financial committee, warned of the deal’s “severe ramifications for the delicate fabric of the State of Israel, harming its security.” A separate assessment in 2020 by the Israeli think tank INSS, concluded that “anywhere between several thousand and 20,000 of the 80,000 jobs in the defense industries in Israel will be lost.”

In return for accepting Obama’s aid package, Israel has now become dangerously reliant on U.S. military technology. The result of this enforced dependency, according to the retired General Hacohen, is stunting the IDF. “Israel is so addicted to advanced U.S. platforms, and the U.S. weaponry they deliver, that we’ve stopped thinking creatively in terms of operational concepts,” Hacohen told the U.S. publication Defense News in 2016—two years before the new MOU went into effect.

This is especially dangerous because, having short-circuited Israeli competition and dumped tens of billions of dollars worth of equipment into Ukraine, the U.S. is increasingly having trouble arming itself—let alone anyone else. A recent report from the Government Accountability Office found systemic problems in the U.S. procurement system leading to widespread delays. The report found that more than half of the 26 major defense acquisition programs under review “had yet to deliver operational capability” and were delayed due to “supplier disruptions, software development delays, and quality control deficiencies.” And what does get produced often isn’t up to par. As part of its “special arrangement,” Israel gets preferential access to the F-35, but is then locked into a fleet of aircraft both riddled with technical problems and a poor fit for Israel’s strategic air priorities. At the risk of stating the obvious, it would be nice to be able to shop on the open market. 

The consequences for Israel’s economy and to the country’s security posture will get more severe in coming years as the full bill from the MOU comes due. According to a congressional report, the “phasing out [of] Off-Shore Procurement (OSP) is to decrease slowly until FY2024, and then phase out more dramatically over the MOU’s last five years, ending entirely in FY2028.” As a consequence, the report notes “some Israeli defense contractors are merging with U.S. companies or opening U.S. subsidiaries”—in other words, transferring their personnel and capacities from Israel to the U.S.

[liberty1776]

In March, I wrote about eight United States Senate members sending a letter to President Joe Biden declaring that Section 6201 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 requires the termination of offensive military aid to the Israel government because the Israel government “prohibits or otherwise restricts, directly or indirectly, the transport or delivery of United States humanitarian assistance.” This declaration seemed then and continues to seem now true to observers of the situation where Gazans suffer from the deprivation of daily needs including food and medical supplies as they also suffer from bombs and bullets. Still, the US military aid flow to Israel … Continue reading →

[agentfascinateur]

Warning to US aid taxpayers...

Israel added $43bn to its debt in 2023 – half of it after the outbreak of the conflict in October. By comparison, it took out $17bn of debt in 2022.

You'll be yoked to this for years more.

[plitnick]

Biden memos show Palestine advocacy is working

Joe Biden is feeling the heat, and it’s showing. He is desperately trying to continue his support for Israel’s genocidal operations in Gaza, but he has finally realized that this support is a serious impediment to his winning re-election. He has taken some steps that can provide tools in the future for impactful political action to stop Israel’s impunity in his attempt to buy off his critics. The…

[animatedtext]

[falesten-iw]

It’s strange when “democracy” means people have to choose between Ivanka’s dad and Ella’s mom, as if that’s supposed to feel empowering. Sure, two bad options don’t feel great, but hey, at least there are options. In some countries, you’d be lucky to get even one choice. And in others? They don’t get elections at all, just a permanent leader who shows up like it’s just another day on the clock. But here democracy feels like a two for one special with a free side of disappointment.

Now that Ivanka’s dad has won. Yes Yes my friend !! Abo Ivanka has won!! And here we are, looking at this system and thinking, “Was this even a choice?” It’s like being asked to pick between plain oatmeal and soggy cereal for breakfast. Sure, it’s technically a choice, but nobody’s excited about it. The two main parties hog the spotlight so completely, they’ve turned “options” into a choice between “slightly bad” and “absolutely dreadful.” And heaven forbid a third-party voice shows up, because here, you need a 50% popularity rating just to get a seat at the grown-ups’ table.

By now, picking a president feels like choosing between the flu and food poisoning. The two big parties are so close in their love for big donors, it’s like watching rival soap operas funded by the same network. We call it “democracy,” but it feels like a rigged game, with mega-donors pulling the strings while the rest of us are just the audience, sitting here with popcorn, hoping the plot somehow gets better.

Sure, many lean toward the Democrats, thinking they’re the “better” choice. But from where I’m sitting, especially as a Palestinian, neither side looks promising. Take Gaza: Democrats have left it in ruins, like a bulldozer at a sandcastle competition, with 80% of the infrastructure leveled and 90% of the people displaced. Now Ivanka’s dad is in charge, and, honestly, we’re past worrying about escalation, because there’s nothing left to escalate to. At this rate, they have already broken the records for destruction and the number of martyred, but the looming fear now is if there’ll be any Gaza left to talk about.

For Palestinians, for Gaza, for much of the world, this isn’t “democracy”; it’s a magic show where they tell you to pick a card, but no matter what you choose, it always comes back to the same card: disaster.

And now, winter’s arrived in Gaza. The nights there? Let’s just say, they’re colder than the stare you’d get from a #### who’s been asked to pay $12 or 15 for a black coffee. My family, like so many others, is living in a tent, a “tent” being a generous word for a few sheets trying to pass for walls. The wind comes in from every side, and huddling under thin blankets in this weather is like fighting a snowstorm with a paper towel. The cold bites to the bone, and there’s no escape; it’s like nature’s way of reminding us we’re still here, exposed.

If you can, please consider donating. Even the smallest help means warmth on a freezing night, a bit of comfort in the middle of a relentless winter. It’s a glimmer of hope for my family and trust me, it’s more welcome than soggy cereal ever could be.

Vetted and shared by @90-ghost: Link.

Verified and shared by @el-shab-hussein: Link

Listed as number 282 in "The Vetted Gaza Evacuation Fundraiser Spreadsheet" compiled by @el-shab-hussein and @nabulsi : Link

Listed on the Butterfly Effect Project, number 957: Link

Additionally, Al Jazeera News has documented apart of my family's case: Link

If, for some reason, you couldn't donate via GoFundMe, you can donate via PayPal instead. Please keep the conversion rates in mind when donating through GoFundMe. Every 250 SEK is equivalent to 25 dollars, and 506 SEK equals 50 dollars and so on.

Note: There’s even a raffle for a handmade Palestinian thob if you want to participate : Link

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[captain-casual]

Next up: Biden continues to be a crusty piece of shit who ignores his voters

Story here

[politijohn]

Source

What a waste

[booasaur]

With no judgment or rancor, I'm asking people who haven't yet boosted any fundraisers for Gaza to please think about reblogging some. Especially when people have already gone ahead and vetted them.

News cycles are focused elsewhere and attention is turned away at the moment, but the needs have only risen.

Famine has now been declared across the strip.

Almost nothing has been getting in for months.

The reason I'm asking people who haven't yet participated is because we're just normal people here, even with regular salaries there's only so much we can donate. Bringing new people into the fold is necessary as others are tapped out.

Omar, whose tweets above I quoted, this is his gofundme:

Ah, another reason I wanted to add to keep donating: a lot of these fundraisers were created for evacuation but the crossing is still closed. In the meantime, people with no jobs or homes need to continue buying very difficult to find price-gouged food and supplies. They're basically been living through an isolated dystopia forced on them by others. That's why you'll see fundraising goals raising.

Finally: I know another reason that makes it difficult to spread fundraisers is that you don't know which to pick. It's tough to feel like you're the arbiter of who gets help and sadly, who doesn't. Gazafunds has made that easy for you. They have a list of vetted fundraisers and every time you visit the page, you'll get a different one. So you can just donate to the one you visited and be confident that they're all being evenly rotated:

[ahmed0khalil]

🛑🛑important 🛑🛑

This is the reality of Gaza today: endless displacement, hunger that ravages the children before the adults, and a harsh winter knocking on the doors without mercy. Amid the rubble and destruction, Gaza stands alone, crying out with a hoarse voice that the world refuses to hear. It pleads for help, but no one answers. How can a mother explain to her children that life has become impossible and that warmth is now just a distant dream? While cities prepare to celebrate the winter holidays, Gaza faces a different kind of winter — one that brings more pain and hunger. Every cold night renews the tragedy, writing another chapter in the story of a city that bleeds every day, every hour.

My family is in desperate need of your support and assistance in facing these harsh conditions. We need your donations, but we also need your moral support by sharing and reposting my story with others. Your voices can make a difference in our lives, and every word or reblog could be a lifeline in this sea of suffering. Solidarity is what we need now more than ever.

[heritageposts]

[m8hammed]

A Plea for Help 🙏 🍉 🕊️

In the midst of unending conflict, every day feels like a struggle. We cling to the hope for peace, but fear still grips us tightly. Our family is in urgent need of your support to escape the devastation and find safety in Egypt.

We seek assistance to cover essential travel expenses and provide for our family's needs, including medical care and educational continuation. Your help, whether through financial contributions or sharing our story, could bring a glimmer of hope and a chance for a new beginning.

From the depths of our hearts, we are profoundly grateful for any support you can offer. Your kindness will not be forgotten.

Thank you, 🌹❤️

"From the depths of our hearts, we ask for your urgent help to restore our lives and rebuild our future." 🙏

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[creaturecomplications]

So, I don't know if this has been said or not but here goes I guess. Do any other indigenous people start getting real nervous when they see a bunch of white people flocking towards particular causes? Because even as someone who can pass as white, I start getting a bit twitchy about it. In particular, I'm talking about how many white people on both the left AND right have rallied behind blatantly antisemitic ideals as a result of the conflict in Gaza and have, as a result, either heavily implied or outright stated that these ideals line up with an idea they have that indigenous identities have a time limit for how long you can say your people come from somewhere while not living there REGARDLESS of whether or not it was outside forces displacing them rather then it being of their own accord. REAL fucking convenient there, I'd say, ESPECIALLY when it was colonization done by white nations that resulted in the death and displacement of MILLIONS of indigenous peoples across the planet, not JUST in the US. I think native peoples across the globe should start getting cautious REAL quick if they haven't already about that. I've been trying not to say too much about all of this since I'm not Jewish OR Palestinian and I don't want to detract from them and their voices and suffering OR spread misinformation, but I feel like this needs to be openly acknowledged in some way so maybe a few of us will be at least marginally prepared when they turn these tactics on us, because if we're being honest, the Jewish people are the global guinea pigs to see how easily governments can sell these ideas to the people about other groups that they find annoying and distasteful in some capacity(read refuses to trust in people and entities that have already abused them). Please keep this in mind as all this continues and try not to fall down the antisemitic rabbit holes on either side of you can. Support both your Palestinian AND Jewish neighbors during this time so they know they are safe with you, and know peace for BOTH peoples SHOULD be the end goal. So far @prismatic-bell has been my main resource to educate myself when I'm on here, so please check them out if you're interested, and stay safe everyone!

[plitnick]

Support Van Hollen amendment to finally force Israel and other aid recipients to comply with IHL

Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) is putting forth an amendment to Joe Biden’s requested supplemental bill that would send more than $14 billion to Israel and $30 billion to Ukraine in additional military funding (as well as another $30 billion-plus in economic aid to Ukraine). His amendment, which now has the support of 17 other senators, would place three requirements on ALL military aid to any…

[girlactionfigure]

A Gazan resident made an "unboxing" video showing the contents of the American humanitarian aid packages which were dropped over Gaza.

He wasn't satisfied with it. 😂

If he were literally starving to death then it would be amazing for him, so he proved that Gazans are not starving to death and have room to be unsatisfied with aid packages.

[maingh0st]

not seeing this on my dash yet, so to my american followers:

tell your senators to support senator bernie sanders’ resolutions to block arms to israel

“As of this writing, the Sanders-led Joint Resolutions of Disapproval (JRD) is the only mechanism available in Congress to prevent the most recent U.S. arms sales to Israel from advancing.”

this link provides a letter format, and once you input your address, it auto-populates the contact info for your senators. please please please take a minute to fill it out and make your voice heard by your elected officials