The money we give to Israel yearly is the best bargain the USA govt gets anywhere in its budget.
But it is the WORST bargain for Israel. In 1967 the Jews were on their way to Amman, Damascus, and Cairo. They could have left them with a permanent reminder and an ultimatum peace treaty or death. The US stopped them. In the Yom Kippur war, a huge portion of the Egyptian Army was surrounded. Israel could have hammered out a real peace agreement, Kissinger stopped them. Throughout this period of Arab rioting and barbaric terror the US has restrained Israel with the phoney 'cycle of violence' argument. Israel should have never accepted a penny from the US government and did its primary duty to its citizenry, PROTECT THEM. It wasn't until the US tasted the Islamic fruit that Israel was given a bit more leeway. Powell wwould still be putting the muzzle on Israel if not for 911.
The socialists in Israel would have had their backs up against the wall to create a viable economy. The US capital bailed out their failed policies. America can afford to have a socialist Dem. party to a certain extent, Israel can't.
The aid also gave another convenient excuse to the Jew haters. Not that they needed an excuse, but why help them along? Jews have managed to survive for over 3,000 years without government subsidies.