Is Israel Really The Best American Investment?

By Dr. Elias Akleh

President Biden keeps repeating throughout his long political career his famous mantra “Israel is the best investment we ever made … Were there not an Israel, the USA would have to invent an Israel to protect her interest in the region.” He stressed to a gathering of Zionist Jewish leaders in 2013 in Washington, DC. “The truth is that Jewish heritage, Jewish culture, Jewish values are such an essential part of who we are, that it’s fair to say that Jewish heritage is American heritage.” He also keeps regurgitating that “you don’t have to be a Jew to become a Zionist, I am a Zionist.”

He keeps stressing that “… there is no apology to be made for our support for Israel. It is the best $3 billion {actually $3.8 billion a year} investment we make … would there be no Israel the US would have to invent an Israel to protect its interest in the region … The second part people would have to understand by now, that should be crystal clear, that Israel is the single greatest strength America has in the Middle East, I always say to my friends imagine our circumstances in the world where there is no Israel, how many battle ships would there be, how many troops would be stationed {in the Middle East} … The security of Israel and the US is inextricably tied, and we will never ever …ever abandon Israel out of our own self-interest.”

Biden is not the only American politician who blindly and unconditionally support Israel. Let’s look at other American officials. Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who is facing accusations of corruption receiving bribes from foreign countries (Arab Countries) for providing them sensitive US Government information and acting as a foreign agent but is spared of similar charges when acting as Israel’s foreign agent. Menendez is the highest supporter for Israeli genocide against Gaza Palestinians. In his speech on the senate floor he stated:

“…every single one of us in this chamber has a moral responsibility to speak out unequivocally and unapologetically, as we stand shoulder to shoulder with Israel and her people.  I have been strongly devoted to this cause for 31 years in Congress. Why? Because the bond between our nations is sacrosanct. In 1948 US was the first nation to recognize Israel 11 minutes after it declared its independence. Our two nations, intrinsically linked, were founded on similar principles … justice, equal rights, freedom of religion, and the respect of the rule of law …US is strong when Israel is strong … Israelis deserve to live in their land of ancestors going back to times of Abrahm and Sara … Israel has the right to defend herself from existential threats.”

Other congressmen also support unconditional arming of Israel. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnel supported Biden’s $14 billion as a first payment emergency assistance to Israel and stating that it is “totally unnecessary” for Israel to abide by US standards regarding conditions for military aid emphasizing that the US does not apply the law to Israel as it does to other countries. He stated: “Our relationship with Israel is the closest national security relationship we have with any country in the world, and to condition our assistance to Israel to their meeting our standards it seems to me is totally unnecessary … this is a democracy, a great ally of ours, and I do not think we need to condition the support that hopefully we will give to Israel very soon.”

After his October visit to Israel Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer denounced Americans’ protests against Israeli genocide against Gaza children and demanding a ceasefire. Ignoring the suffering of families of thousands of Palestinian prisoners and hostages -women and children- in Israeli jails, many kidnapped during last three months, and the Gaza open air concentration camp besieged by Israel, Schumer said: “I wish protesters could have listened to the 12 families we had, whose relatives were taken hostage … I wish those who think Israel is wrong would just listen to these parents and the anguish they face through a brutal, brutal Hamas.” He also stressed that he’d work to ensure that Israel has “everything they need to totally eliminate Hamas.”

Congressman Steny H. Hoyer, Democrat Maryland, in a speech to the Congress stated: “Mr. speaker we must provide Israel with the resources it needs to protect itself and Israelis, a mission that I absolutely support, and we must do it NOW.”

Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) delivered a speech on the Senate floor calling for the US to provide Israel with full military and diplomatic support to eradicate Iranian-backed Hamas for as long as it takes, repeating and stressing the phrase “as long as it takes.” Following Israel’s denigration of Palestinians -as well as Arabs- as human animals Cruz said: “This fight is barbarism against civilization, good versus evil. The differences between the two sides are as stark as darkness and light. {Israel as light among nations} The light and goodness will prevail if we stand with Israel.”

Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore) wanted to make BDS movement boycotting Israeli goods a federal crime forgetting that US is giving itself the right to boycott many countries. Wyden was worried about Oregon’s economic ties to Israel worth billions annually, estimated to be $1.32 billion in 2022 in the semiconductor industry. When asking about Israel/Palestinian/Hamas war he said: “We are going to assist Israel as an ally very clearly … but it’s important to remember what Hamas is all about. Hamas is about freedom and independence in their fundamental beliefs. It’s genocide for Israel and they want to kill as many Jews as possible … this is about making sure that Israel has the resources to defend itself… you have a group, Hamas, that is bent on genocide. Period. Full stop …and there is no other way to describe it than terrorism, plain and simple.”

Representative Shontel Brown (D-OH), who was financed by AIPAC to defeat its rival pro-Palestinian Nina Turner, returned the favor by visiting Israel and declaring: “Let’s be clear: Israel is not an apartheid state.  Any Mischaracterizations otherwise attempt to delegitimize Israel, a robust democracy, and will serve to fuel rising anti-Semitism.  I will always advocate for a strong US-Israel relationship founded on our shared values.”

Congressman Joe Gottheimer (D-NJ), who called on Rutgers University in New Jersey to evict anti-Semitic speakers and anti-Israel crowd out of university festivities, after visiting Israel he accused Iranian-backed Hamas of using their own family members as human shields, and accusing other Arab resistance factions of attacking the (occupying) American forces in Iraq and Syria. (Repeating the silly Israeli propaganda lies.)

On January 6^th former Vice President Mike Pence made a PR visit to Israel stating that “I came because like the overwhelming majority of American people, I love Israel. I consider Israel our most cherished ally in this dark hour, I want to do my part to make sure that the people of Israel know that the people of the US are with you.” Then, he signed his name on an American supplied bomb that will be fired at Lebanon.

Certain facts are worth mentioning here. Biden’s statement that Jewish (Israel) heritage is American heritage is a fact. Menendez seems to agree that both heritages were founded on similar principles. Yet, they were not founded on justice, equal right, freedom of religion, and rule of law, but on genocide of indigenous population, the theft of their homeland, racism and slavery, religious persecutions -American Islamophobia and Israeli Islamophobia and anti-Christianity-, imposing the brutal law of power, and violating all humane and international laws. Biden’s statement that Israel’s existence cancels the need for American military presence in the Middle East is totally wrong and misleading. There are many American military bases in the region, whose one major purpose of their existence is to protect and to arm Israel.

Ted Cruz, and many other American politicians, accuse Iran of militarily backing Palestinian fighters, Lebanese Hezbollah, Iraqi fighters, and Yemeni Houthis to fight Israel, whom they consider a foreign terrorist state. Yet these politicians do not mention that successive American administrations have been backing Israel -as well as terrorist groups such as ISIS as confirmed by some politicians and military officials- financially, politically, and militarily. It seems that the US has this exclusive right that is denied to other countries.

Also, Wyden’s and other politicians’ claim that Hamas is genocidal is based on Islamophobic and Israeli propaganda lies, which is strongly refuted by historical facts and documented videos. The whole world has seen how humanely Hamas treated its Israeli hostages compared to how brutally Israel abused Palestinian hostages and prisoners, and how they massacre civilian Palestinians including children, women, medics, and reporters.

Those officials, along with many other American politicians, have sold their conscious for AIPAC’s money, that is printed by the private Zionist pro-Israel Jewish, not federally managed, Federal Reserve Bank without any legal control. The highest pro-Israel recipients are Joe Biden ($4,346,264), Menendez ($2,483,502), McConnel ($1,953,160), Shumer ($1,725,324), Hoyer ($1,620,294), Cruz ($1,299,194), Wyden ($1,279,376), Dick Durbin ($1,126,020), Josh Gottheimer ($1,109,370), Shontel Brown ($1,028,686), and many other politicians. For these officials, but not for America, Israel is the best investment.

How much cash money does America give to Israel? The so-called US foreign assistance to Israel between 1946-2022 is estimated to equal $317.9 billion not mentioning the billions more in military aid. In 2016 former US President Barack Obama negotiated a record $38 billion agreement over ten years in military aid to Israel exceeding $3.8 billion in 2023. US also ships billions worth munitions to Israel in support for its genocidal wars against Palestinians, as it is doing right now in the Gaza Strip. This creates a heavy deficit on the national budget reaching $129 billion in December 2023, up $44 billion or 52% higher than last year; December 2022.

Besides all this tax money and huge tax-exempt donations  given to Israel the US had established many military bases, sends aircraft carriers, destroyers, and submarines to the region as deterrents against, and to fight any Arab country who would attempt to resist the Israeli colonial project as what has done to Iraq and Syria. More tax money and American lives are wasted here.  Worse still, the Pentagon cannot fully account for $3.8 trillion in assets and $4 trillion in liabilities it has accrued at US taxpayer expense, ostensibly in defense of the US and its allies. More unaccounted for, under the table tax money to Israel???

How does Israel spend American tax money? Israel builds modern colonies on stolen Palestinian land while tens of thousands of tax-paying Americans live homeless in the streets, under trees, and in their cars. Israel pays living aids (salaries) for every Israeli child since infancy until he reaches 18 years old. Every Israeli child receives free education up to the fourth university year while American students are buried under heavy student loans. Every Israeli citizen enjoys free complete medical coverage, while Americans have to pay dearly for even the simplest medical care, e.g. one hour out-patient simple surgical procedure had cost me $32,000 as a copayment. Every Israeli senior citizen receives handsome social security payment while the majority of American senior citizens could hardly live on their meagre social security income.

Does the US get a thank you from Israel??? Israel’s thank you comes in the form of betrayal where Israeli agents steal American secret military technologies and sell them to its enemies. It also comes in the form of false flag terrorist attacks and assassinations; Kennedy brothers and son’s assassination, USS Liberty attack, and 911 nuclear attacks just for examples.

So finally, is Israel really the best American investment or its biggest burden?

Urgent Update: tonight, Thursday January 11^th. American and British forces had bombed Yemeni capital and cities. Ten huge explosions were reported, at least one of them seems to be the result of mini nuke with similar effect like that of May 2015 by Israeli fighter planes against Yemen. Biden stated that he authorized such an attack. It was also announced that such an attack took place without Congressional knowledge. To give this attack some authority it was announced that it was supported by an alliance involving Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Holland, Germany, South Korea, and others. This attack came in defense of Israel because Yemen deprived all Israeli or pro-Israeli ships entry into the Red Sea until the end of Israel’s genocide against Gaza.

In response Yemen vowed to prevent all British and American ships from entering the Red Sea even by force. The US, who has been claiming that it does not want the Israeli/American/Palestinian resistance war to expand, is itself expanding this war that would cover the whole Middle Eastern region.

Take a deep breath and watch WWIII develop.

Dr. Elias Akleh

Dr. Elias Akleh is an Arab-American from Palestinian descent. His family was evicted from Haifa, Palestine after the 1948 Nakba when Zionists stole his family’s property. Then the family was evicted again from the West Bank during the 1967 Naksah, after Zionists again, occupied the rest of Palestine.