It is true that Israel is diversifying its security alliances. It is also true that Israel remains dependent on the US above all for indispensable military aid.
Israel’s improved ties with Egypt, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Greece notwithstanding, Israel needs arms to survive, and none of those countries can or will provide them. Only the US can.
Right now, Israel receives $3 billion anually in American military aid under a deal that will expire in 2018. Under President Obama, the US is reportedly offering Israel a 10-year, $4 billion per year, military aid package. It is extremely generous.
Israel wants a 10-year, $5 billion per year deal. This is understandable, given the growth of ISIS, the instability in Syria, an emboldened Iran and anticipated inflation over 10 years.
However, it does not take a crystal ball to discern that whoever the next American president is, the tone in American-Israeli relations may well change. Click through some of the current possibilities. On massive military aid to Israel, Donald Trump is unpredictable, Bernie Sanders is predictable. Hillary Clinton, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and Jeb Bush would likely be supportive, but the election of any of them is hardly certain. The time for Israel to act is now.
All of the policy, emotional and personal snubs of Israel by the Obama administration notwithstanding, Obama has stood by Israel on the arms front. According to the Israel daily Haaretz, an unnamed senior US official told the newspaper on Feb. 7:
“Even as we grapple with a particularly challenging budget environment, this administration’s commitment to Israel’s security is such that we are prepared to sign an MOU [memorandum of understanding] with Israel that would constitute the largest single pledge of military assistance to any country in US history.
“Israel is of course free to wait for the next administration to finalize a new MOU should it not be satisfied with such a pledge, but we would caution that the US budgetary environment is unlikely to improve in the next one to two years and Israel will certainly not find a president more committed to Israel’s security than is President Obama.”
A bird in hand is worth two in the bush.
Copyright © 2016 by the Intermountain Jewish News
