But while largely appreciated in Jerusalem, the heavy reliance on foreign assistance has also raised concerns in Israel about the downsides of the aid, including the level of control it gives the US over Israel’s military spending and priorities. With the agreement underpinning the annual aid disbursement set to expire in the coming years, the White House occupied by a president who has sought to reduce handouts to foreign allies, and restrictions on arms sales during the war with Hamas a fresh and painful memory, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has signaled that Jerusalem will phase out its dependence on US military assistance.
The shift could help recalibrate the US-Israel relationship and address those downsides, but analysts warn it could also carry deep knock-on effects domestically and on the international stage, depleting Israeli coffers and boosting hostile elements. Phasing out aid would represent “a much deeper decline of US influence in the Middle East,” warned former US ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro, adding that it risks weakening US-Israel military ties and calling for careful consideration of a potentially destabilizing move.
While the move carries considerable risk, Israel has survived without US aid before. It fought in 1967 without US weapons, and has found ways to cope with restrictions even since aid was ramped up. After the US restricted the use of American cluster bombs during the 2006 Lebanon War, Israel developed its own improved version For Jerusalem, the challenge of weaning off Washington’s assistance will be to preserve cooperation while reducing unwanted control. (Ed note: But wasn't Someone who said that "Jerusalem was the apple of His eye" left out of this converstion?) (Read More)
