I’d prefer not to write an entire essay and nitpick points, but here’s a decent article I found: https://www.axios.com/2023/11/04/us-israel-aid-military-funding-chart Key points I’m seeing:
- 80%+ of their weapons over the last 70 years come from the US
- we are funding about 15% of their total military budget
- 50 billion in annual trade between US and israel
More importantly, the US is the world hegemon, and is committed to protecting Israel. Do you think Iran would be so restrained against Israel if US retaliation wasn’t guaranteed? The US moved an aircraft carrier into the region following Oct. 7th, do you find that irrelevant too? And to reiterate, the US provides diplomatic cover to Israel by vetoing (a power that Israel does not possess) any attempt by the international community to hold it accountable.
keep in mind that the point we are addressing is that despite a hypotheticall withdrawal of all US military aid, in no way is Israel unable to continue their invasion/genocide if the US stops supporting Israel altogether.
“- we are funding about 15% of their total military budget”.[in recent years specifically, including the injection of military aid immediately after October 7th]
If the US was to completely stop funding israel, Israel would have zero problem funding their military and their national infrastructure by themselves.
“80%+ of their weapons over the last 70 years come from the US”
It’s convenient for Israel to buy US weapons, and the US should stop selling them weapons, but if the US completely stopped selling arms to israel tomorrow, it in no way cripples or halts the Israeli military from using their stockpile, purchasing arms elsewhere or producing arms themselves.
“- 50 billion in annual trade between US and israel”
less than 10% of Israeli GDP
we should still sanction them, but it isn’t going to make much of a difference in national civilian life or military function.
“Do you think Iran would be so restrained against Israel if US retaliation wasn’t guaranteed?”
no for so many reasons, but tell me your theory.
“The US moved an aircraft carrier into the region following Oct. 7th, do you find that irrelevant too?”
no, but go off, how are aircraft carriers irrelevant?
“US provides diplomatic cover to Israel by vetoing…”
Setting aside the arrest warrants and findings by the ICC, the US should stop vetoing the symbolic adjudications by the UN so everybody can point at Israel and yell “shame”.
this should happen.
however, if the US stops vetoing the symbolic adjudications, Israel is under no obligation to listen to the UN any more than they have listened to or have been following UN regulations since the UN and israel were established, any more than they listen to the ICC.
it would be nice if the US took stronger economic or political action against Israel, or declared further sanctions.
would any of those actions stop netanyahu, the idf or disrupt national function?
Not in any material way.
