Most Democrats think the $38 billion dollar aid package the U.S. signed with Israel last week—the highest in U.S. history—is “too much or way too much” money, while Republicans are split on the amount, according to a survey conducted by the Brookings Institute.
Polling more than 1,500 in May, Brookings asked Americans along party lines what they thought of the U.S.-Israel relationship, in terms of dollars and cents. The question about the balloon payment read:
“The Obama administration is reportedly offering Israel a 10-year military aid package total[ing] approximately $40 billion. Israel is reportedly balking as it feels it needs more to maintain its ‘qualitative edge’ in the Middle East. Do you believe that what the Obama administration is offering is: way too little, too little, just about the right amount, too much, or way too much?”
Fifty-seven percent of Democrats answered Israel’s aid at $40 billion rolled out over ten years was too high, compared to 40 percent of Republicans. Another 40 percent of Republicans thought the package was too low.
The division between the GOP and Democrats on Israel remained consistent throughout the poll. Fifty-three percent of Democrats “think that the Israeli government has too much influence” in the U.S., while only 27 percent of Republicans said Israel exercises undue influence.
The issue where the two camps are most split is on settlements.
Republicans overwhelmingly back Israel’s settlements in the West Bank with 73 percent pledging the U.S. should “do nothing” to “limit opposition to” Israeli construction in the occupied Palestinian territory. Yet Democrats are divided. Fifty-three percent said they want the U.S. to impose economic sanctions on Israel if it does not freeze settlement building.
Among Republicans, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is popular, even more so than Ronald Reagan.
In a write-in question, more Republicans responded the “national or world leader that they admire most” is Netanyahu over any other official. For Democrats and Independents, both said Barak Obama was their favored leader, with Pope Francis trailing behind in second place.
The U.S. first began giving large sums to Israel in 1974 following the peace agreement with Egypt. Israel became the largest recipient of U.S. overseas aid, followed by Egypt in second place. But nothing dramatically positive has occurred in Israel’s foreign relations recently to warrant another fiscal boost wrote senior Brookings fellow Shibley Telhami who drafted the questionnaire.
“In this case, Israel is making no major strategic decision to attract this level of aid—and certainly not one over the Palestinian-Israeli or the broader Arab-Israeli conflicts,” Telhami said.
Following the aid agreement, President Obama will meet in New York with both Netanyahu and the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in talks on the sideline of the United Nations General Assembly about kick-starting a renewed round of peace talks. The last negotiations broke down in 2014, ending a few months before Israel went to war with Gaza. Since then, Russia has also extended an offer to broker Israeli-Palestinian talks.
hmm, really? does anyone really believe this?
Israel signed a peace treaty with egypt in 1979 not 1974. I assume the large influx of aid in 1974 was forgiveness of debt for the massive infusion of arms during the course of the October 73 yom kippur war. Israeli cooperation regarding separation of forces agreements with egypt in January 74 and with Syria later that year, could have been instrumental in the forgiveness of that debt.
And the second separation agreement with egypt which was signed in 75, involved pressure of various sorts. The steady aid to israel began after the egypt israel peace treaty was signed in 79.
I think a bit more info about the brooking institute and its “center for middle east policy” should be included in this article. This center formerly known as the “saban” center is funded by Mr. Haim Saban. He recently was instrumental in getting a certain Hillary Clinton on board against BDS. I don’t know if the numbers in the poll are correct, but when Mondoweiss publishes things from an organization that clearly has a stake in the results of its own poll, relevant info regarding the taker of the poll needs to be included.
The Green Party’s Jill Stein and the Republican Party’s Gary Johnson haven’t been invited to participate in the forthcoming debates. One reason for shutting them out may be that both nominees might speak out forcefully against this 38 billion aid package, which, given the above poll results, very well might peal off voters from both the major party nominees, but more so from the Democratic standard bearer. If polls suggest this is happening, Trump might change his mind & oppose the aid, but on this issue the public might not let him get away with it. Clinton, however, is so tangled up with the Israel Lobby that even if she came to her senses vis-a-vis Palestine-Israel, no way would the public believe her.
But why is it way too much? What is the benchmark from which the magnitude of excess aid is judge?
Secondly, let’s consider the source of the aid money itself. The billions of dollars was generated from the continued military occupation of Turtle Island and exploitation of its resources by the white supremacist government. That in itself is already a major crime even before we consider how it is being used to finance occupation of Palestine.