Should the US continue to fund Israel?

Andrew (No)

The United States has an unhealthy relationship with Israel. Due to the powerful pro-Israel lobby and highly effective propaganda campaigns, the United States takes a totally uncritical approach to its support for Israel. Many see this as not making much sense, especially if America wants its values and interests reflected in the nations we support. According to Gallup, the majority of Americans disapprove of Israel’s war in Gaza. If the government exists to enact the people's will, then we should not continue to fund them uncritically. Even if we put aside Israel’s actions, it simply makes no sense to send such enormous sums of money overseas when we have budget shortfalls at home. 

On human rights grounds alone, the United States should stop funding Israel. It’s clear that Israel is causing widespread death, destruction, and misery in Gaza that, according to Amnesty International, “may amount to war crimes or crimes against humanity.” We cannot allow ourselves to bankroll this operation, nor should we support it with our weapons. No one would give money to someone if they knew they were going to use it to buy a gun to shoot up a school. Israel has shown us over and over again that they will use American dollars and weapons to target civilian sites and collectively punish Palestinians. 

America’s unwavering support for Israel makes us less safe. Even if all Israel cared about was its own future security, with complete disregard for the lives and well-being of the Palestinians, their current war strategy practically guarantees the opposite outcome. The misery and death Israel is causing in Gaza could produce another generation of extremists, with the United States continuing to be a target for their ire. 

Luis (Yes)

While Israel has become a wealthy and highly developed nation in the Middle East, the United States must keep funding and supporting its Jewish state ally. Israel has always been one of the most important and strategic allies in that part of the world, and the amount of funding is minimal in comparison to America’s total spend on other countries, such as Ukraine. The Western world has a moral commitment to Israel, remembering not only the Holocaust and what happens when Jews don't have the autonomy to defend themselves but also the systematic persecution of Jews throughout history.

Funding Israel funds counterterrorism measures so the Jewish state can collaborate in getting intelligence from terrorist organizations in the Middle East and execute necessary military operations against them. Moreover, funding the country is also a way of securing regional stability in the Middle East, as Israel has been a nation that other countries have been trying to destabilize in many ways. Experts believe that a weaker Israel might prompt a chaotic period of violence and political instability in the Middle East, as the region hasn’t fallen into a warmonger dynamic against Israel because of its military deterrence.

Finally, the US should maintain its funding of the so-called Jewish state because the two nations not only have deep historical ties but also share democratic values. In fact, Israel is the only liberal democracy and safe haven for LGBTQ people in the Middle East. Helping it means the country will be able to continue guaranteeing basic human rights such as religious freedom or the legal protection of its many minority communities. No matter what the region undergoes, the US should maintain its aid to Israel to help secure peace in the region.