When Republican Presidential Candidate Vivek Ramaswamy came out with his position of ending foreign aid to Israel, he joined the ranks of unabashed Israel haters and progressives such as Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, Congresswoman Cori Bush, J Street and others.
His position is a rather interesting one given he acknowledges U.S. Foreign Aid to Israel has advanced American interests saying: “I actually do think our relationship with Israel has advanced American interests.” (RELATED: JOSH HAMMER: The 2024 Republican Primary Battle Is Far From Over)
While I’ve liked much of what Ramaswamy has had to say thus far, this latest from him is wrong and misguided on many levels.
Providing military aid to Israel supports the America First agenda both directly and indirectly. When we can depend on Israel to “take care of business” in the Middle East, we can focus on our domestic issues that need to be addressed.
I strongly disagree with Ramaswamy, U.S. military to Israel must continue and if it were up to me, I would double it to $6B!
Here is some background on this foreign aid aka military aid and some of the main reasons why I think we must continue forward.
Since 1979, the United States has given Israel $3 billion dollars per year in military aid with the amount increased to $3.8 in 2019. It’s my belief that the U.S. does not give foreign aid to Israel — the U.S. makes an annual investment in Israel, giving US taxpayers a return of several hundred percent.
Israel provides a cost-effective alternative to having to otherwise station American troops in the region. Our tax dollars maintain regional peace and stability by helping Israel respond effectively to the unprecedented military threats we face together. Hamas and Hezbollah are both listed in the U.S. State Department FTO (Foreign Terrorist Organization) list. Who do we think does the most to counter the malign influence of the Iranian backed Hamas and Hezbollah; Israel does!
Israel is a major economic and technological ally. Many American companies including Google, Microsoft, Apple, IBM, and Intel operate major research facilities in Israel, and Israel creates hundreds of thousands of jobs in America through trade, investment, and other cooperation. U.S. aid helps Israel defend itself so it can remain a valuable contributor to the American economy.
Currently, 75% of the foreign aid must be spent on American defense/military contractors. By 2028, Israel must spend 100% of American aid money on American defense contractors. This spending supports well over 20,000 jobs according to recent estimates.
Israel is a unique force multiplier for the United States, helping to extend America’s strategic reach, so it can secure vulnerable pro-U.S. Arab oil-producing regimes and deter conventional wars and terrorism. With Israel’s help, the United States can do this without the deployment of U.S. troops, which is not the case with countries like Japan and South Korea.
Ramaswamy should know that in an increasingly uncertain Middle East, Israel is the one strong and dependable ally upon which America can always count on.
Cooperation between the two countries in intelligence, homeland security, missile defense and counterterrorism has helped the United States meet its growing security challenges many times over.
The bottom line is this; Ramaswamy has an opportunity to right his wrong and I sure hope he does. His statements were ill-advised and flat out wrong.
Perhaps Ramaswamy should visit Israel immediately so he can see first hand how the American people benefit from providing military aid to Israel instead of making ill-advised comments that drives a wedge between the U.S.-Israel alliance.
Bryan E. Leib is the Executive Director of CASEPAC, the former Executive Director of Iranian Americans for Liberty, and a former GOP Congressional Candidate. He can be reached at bleib@casepac.org
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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