How much military aid has Israel received from the US?

Speaking Security Newsletter | Note n°218 | 10 October 2023

How much US military aid has gone to Israel?

Since 1946, Israel has collected $124.3 billion in military aid from the United States, including $12.4 billion since 2020. These figures are through the end of fiscal year 2023. More is certainly on the way in FY2024, both through regular and supplemental funding bills.

An emergency funding bill that’ll be introduced soon sponsors arms shipments “to help Israel defend itself” even though Israel already ranks 15th among countries ordered by annual military spending, holds a disproportionate military advantage not just over Hamas but over the entire Levant, and receives $3.8 billion for its military forces every year from the US. Of that annual figure, $500 million is for missile defense. The rest comes from the State Department’s Foreign Military Financing program — basically a $3.3 billion gift card for Israel to buy US-made weapons. Israel is the largest cumulative recipient of US foreign aid since World War II.

Editorial note: Israel should be ineligible for this assistance. US law is clear that countries that violate certain human rights standards must be restricted or prohibited from receiving US military aid. The Foreign Assistance Act prohibits US assistance to countries with “a consistent pattern” of violating human rights. Decades of Israeli occupation and apartheid underpin the country’s recurring violations of international law during its operations in Palestine. The Arms Export Control Act says the US can only supply weapons to another country only if they’re for “legitimate self-defense.” Destroying international news offices, residential apartments, and refugee camps using US-made bombs as Israel did in 2021 doesn’t sound like self-defense. The Leahy Laws require the US to vet foreign military units for past human rights abuses before supplying them with arms. Israel is exempt from this requirement—the US doesn’t even have an oversight mechanism in place to track which Israeli units get which US weapons.

^Alt text for screen readers: Israel has received $124 billion in military aid from the United States. This chart shows cumulative U.S. military aid to Israel since 1946 on the y-axis and years on the x-axis. As of 2020, the U.S. had sent Israel $112 billion in military aid; 2021, $116 billion; 2022, $121 billion; 2023, $124 billion. These points are the pink dots on the chart. Figures are of fiscal year 2023 in current U.S. dollars. Data comes from the Congressional Research Service, or CRS.

-Stephen (@stephensemler; stephen@securityreform.org)

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