Armed to the teeth: how America has funded Israel’s wars

Washington's military support for Israel is enshrined in the third 10-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the two countries in 2016, which commenced in 2018. This provides $38bn in military aid over 10 years.

Apart from backing a key ally, Washington believes its continued support for Israel reflects their shared foreign policy objectives in the Middle East.

A few billion more

More recently, in the weeks after the Hamas attacks of 7 October, Israel received a fresh aid package of $17bn, with military aid comprising a significant chunk.

That new package was passed by Congress despite mounting criticism in the US over the Netanyahu government's handling of the Gaza war, where the death toll is approaching 40,000. The vast majority are civilians.

Palestinian rights advocates denounced the money for weapons with the reminder that Israel currently stands accused before the International Criminal Court of committing genocide against Palestinians.

Biden said the money would help Israel protect itself from attacks by Iran. He said the package, which also gave assistance to Ukraine and Taiwan, was a "good day for world peace" that would help improve the long-term security of the US.

"My commitment to Israel—I want to make clear again—is ironclad," Biden told reporters. "The security of Israel is critical."

Building a fortress

US support for Israel over recent decades has turbocharged its development into a major military power, although they do not have a legally binding mutual defence pact like the US has with allies such as Japan and NATO.

Israel is on a short-list of "major non-NATO allies", which means it has access to some of the most advanced US military technologies.

It has become the largest recipient of US foreign aid. Since its founding in 1948, it has had around $310bn in economic and military assistance.

Under the 2016 MoU, Israel gets $3.3bn a year in grants under the Foreign Military Financing (FMF) programme, or roughly 15% of Israel's entire defence budget.

The FMF stipulates that Israel must use the funds to purchase American arms, but Israel's special status means that it can use some of the US aid to buy equipment from Israeli defence firms, a concession not afforded to other such recipients.

Money for missiles

In addition, another $500m a year is set aside for joint US-Israeli missile defence programmes, a key area of military cooperation between the two, where they collaborate closely on research, development, and production.

A notable achievement in missile defence was the Iron Dome air defence system. Developed by the Israelis, the US then became a production partner in 2014.

The Iron Dome was developed after Israel's 2006 war with Hezbollah, when the Israelis recognised that better air defence systems were needed to counter the Lebanon-based militia's missile threat.

US military contractor Raytheon now manufactures the Tamir interceptor missiles used in Israel's Iron Dome system at its facilities in Arizona.

Other key missile development programmes developed from US-Israel military cooperation include David's Sling (designed to shoot down rockets fired from between 62-124 miles away) and the hypersonic Arrow anti-ballistic missiles (effective at longer ranges).

Jets and weaponry

Israel's privileged military relationship with the US led to it being the first foreign country to fly the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, considered the most technologically advanced fighter jet ever made.

Currently in the process of buying 75 of them, Israel has so far taken delivery of 36, paying for these largely US-made jets with US money.

Since the 7 October attacks, the US has kept the military hardware flowing to Israel, including tank and artillery ammunition, bombs, rockets, and small arms.

In addition, the Israeli military is reported to be purchasing high-tech US military equipment such as surveillance drones and 50 F-15 fighters.

The US has also agreed to lease Israel two Iron Dome missile batteries that Washington had previously purchased from Israel.

It's what you do with it

Despite the close cooperation between the two countries, the Biden administration still remains concerned about Israel's handling of its war in Gaza.

In February, Biden issued a national security memo requiring recipients of US military aid to give written assurances that they would observe international law in their use of the aid.

Biden is also aware of Washington's obligations under the Leahy Law. Passed by Congress in 2008, this limits America's ability to provide security assistance to foreign governments or groups that commit gross human rights violations.

There is certainly a precedent for US clamp-down in the supply arms to the Israelis if Washington believes they are violating international law.

Back in the 1980s, during Ronald Reagan's administration, the US banned the transfer of cluster munitions to Israel for several years after it found the Israeli military had used them against civilians in Lebanon.

Irrespective of the long history of military cooperation between the two countries, it is not beyond the realms of possibility that Israel could face a similar ban if Netanyahu persists with his uncompromising approach in Gaza.