Posted on 03/12/2025 6:30:51 PM PDT by DoodleBob
The Heritage Foundation is proposing that the U.S. wind down military aid to Israel as part of a strategy to “re-orient its relationship” with the country over the next two decades, a notable stance for the prominent conservative think tank given the long and deep support for Israel among conservatives and Republicans.
The Heritage report on moving the U.S.-Israel strategy, “From Special Relationship to Strategic Partnership,” was crafted by its defense experts and released on Wednesday.
“Just as Israel once advanced from a financial assistance recipient to an economic partner of the United States, so, too, should it move from a military financing recipient to a security partner,” the report says.
The report outlines a broad strategy that, while calling to wind down military aid, seeks to keep a strong long-term U.S.-Israel relationship, in part through strengthening trade and imposing sanctions on its adversaries.
Release of the report was accompanied by Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter canceling a scheduled appearance at a Heritage Foundation event scheduled to promote the new report, as first reported by Jewish Insider.
A spokesperson for the Israeli Embassy told The Hill that the embassy “greatly values” its “working relationship and friendship” with the Heritage Foundation, attributing the cancellation to a “miscommunication.”
“Due to a miscommunication regarding the format for the event, the ambassador regrettably will not be able to attend, but looks forward to future engagement,” a spokesperson for the Israeli Embassy said in a statement.
The Israeli Embassy did not respond to a follow-up question about the nature of the miscommunication. A spokesperson for House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Brian Mast (R-Fla.), who is staunchly pro-Israel and was also slated to be at the event, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A Heritage spokesperson said that the event was postponed because two of the event speakers “withdrew due to unforeseen circumstances,” and went on to defend the report.
“The report set to be unveiled at the event was grossly misrepresented as a hostile attempt to chop aid, by people who prefer to see Israel weak, vulnerable, and forever dependent on the United States,” the spokesperson said. “Heritage stands by its work as the report underscores the urgent need to strengthen and elevate bilateral ties between the U.S. and Israel.”
The Heritage report calls for the U.S. to wind down military aid to the Jewish state by 2047 as it increases spending on “cooperative programs,” and for Israel to start buying U.S. arms starting in 2039.
“From 2029 to 2047, the United States should transition its military financing of arms procurements to direct military sales to Israel,” the report continues. “Israel will then be positioned to celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2048 as an independent and full partner to the U.S. A concurrent increased investment in cooperative program spending will ensure that the defense industrial base ties between the U.S. and Israel continue to expand.”
Specifically, the report calls for the U.S. to increase its foreign military financing of Israel to $4 billion annually starting in fiscal 2029, and then in 2032 start gradually decreasing it by $250 million each year until it ends in 2047.
HF needs to Stop Jihad Now!
Wind Down HF as a domestic terrorist org.
Foreign-aid spending is not authorized by the Constitution.
Article I, Section 8, Paragraph 1 of the Constitution reads: “The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises, to pay the debts and provide for the common defence and general welfare of the United States; but all duties, imposts and excises shall be uniform throughout the United States.”
The list of powers granted to the federal government in Article I, Section 8, Paragraphs 2–18 does not include the power to take money from Americans and give it to foreign governments.
Many Israeli leaders have called got an end to the Camp David $3 billion per year in aid for decades, including Bibi. But opponents in the Pentagon and defense industry have squelched moves to do so, since 94% of the money is used to buy U.S. weaponry. Israelis say the aid weakens Israel defense firms and keeps Israel dependent.
I think that the id should end. Bu i’m sgainst ALL foriegn aid on principle.
Yep.
Go away and stop embarrassing yourselves.
Brilliant- just brilliant- Let’s ignore God’s blessings and stop supporting God’s people- that should go real well for the US! /S
I agree.
People supporting foreign aid are an embarrassment to liberty and fidelity to the Constitution.
The heritage foundation should have died, along with the weekly standard and national review.
The Ukraine number is off by about $100B (or more) for 2023.
Genesis 12:3
New King James Version
3 I will bless those who bless you,
And I will curse him who curses you;
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
God’s people are the Church.
This is legislatable.
I’m pro-Israel. I would vote to give them money.
Others wouldn’t. That’s fine.
Let’s have votes and decide.
I would like to see a ledger of pros and cons.
I am a huge fan of Israel, but as an American I must ask: What’s in it for us?
I don’t agree with everything the Israeli government does. I’m pretty convinced they were behind Epstein Island, they were horrible authoritarians during covid. The ran Pollard and god only knows how many other spies against us. So I think they need an attitude change...
But good god, I would side with them 100 times over before siding with the moslems surrounding them.
This is something to be approached very carefully by very serious people...of which we have none.
Of all the problems we have, 3.8 billion a year is nothing, and they use it to buy weapons from us. Hell, they just dumped that amount on Stacy Abrams head for a new global warming NGO!
What we SHOULD do is stop funding the Arab side, and spend a little time reassuring the Israelis that they do not need to fear us and need to knock off their spying on us. They should prove it somehow. A little more gratitude and a little less entitlement maybe.
But good lord, cutting them off would be a big mistake.
20 billion for Stacy Abrams NGO! 3.8 Billion for the survival of Israel is a trivial amount... especially considering they spend it all here!
Israel’s Godless Deep State has a stranglehold on Israel. Netanyahu relies on his gay Knesset Speaker, gobbles lobster and desecrates Shabbat.
Sell Israel anything they need, and block the Jew-hate UN, but stop the welfare for the God-hating chiloni government.
Just about every nation has a godless evil deep state because this this Satan’s world for the meantime, and while it is, he is doing everything he can to pull down the good people and destroy what God has made- there will always be good vs evil until hrist comes back and conquers evil for good, a d establishes his rule over his nation and the nations of earth. Until then it behooves us to support his chosen people and continue to receive his blessings as he has promised. Those thsy oppose his,people beczuse they oppose God will not win in the end, and gods blessings are not on them. Sure Israel has a deep state but we can’t abandon her people or,nation beczuse of it, but we do have to as you say be wise about it.
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