By Prof. Hillel Frisch BESA Center Perspectives Paper, Feb 10, 2017
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Many American detractors of Israel begin by citing that Israel receives the lion’s share of US military aid. The very suggestion conjures the demon of an all-powerful Israel lobby that has turned the US Congress into its pawn. But these figures, while reflecting official direct US military aid, are almost meaningless in comparison to the real costs and benefits of US military aid – above all, American boots on the ground. In reality, Israel receives only a small fraction of American military aid, and most of that was spent in the US to the benefit of the American economy.
Countless articles discrediting Israel (as well as many other better-intentioned articles) ask how it is that a country as small as Israel receives the bulk of US military aid. Israel receives 55%, or $US3.1 billion per year, followed by Egypt, which receives 23%. This largesse comes at the expense, so it is claimed, of other equal or more important allies, such as Germany, Japan, and South Korea. The complaint conjures the specter of an all-powerful Israel lobby that has turned the US Congress into its pawn.
The response to the charge is simple: Israel is not even a major beneficiary of American military aid. The numerical figure reflects official direct US military aid, but is almost meaningless compared to the real costs and benefits of US military aid – which include, above all, American boots on the ground in the host states.
There are 150,500 American troops stationed in seventy countries around the globe. This costs the American taxpayer an annual $US85-100 billion, according to David Vine, a professor at American University and author of a book on the subject. In other words, 800-1,000 American soldiers stationed abroad represent US$565-665 million of aid to the country in which they are located.
Once the real costs are calculated, the largest aid recipient is revealed to be Japan, where 48,828 US military personnel are stationed. This translates into a US military aid package of over US$27 billion (calculated according to Vine’s lower estimation). Germany, with 37,704 US troops on its soil, receives aid equivalent to around US$21 billion; South Korea, with 27,553 US troops, receives over US$15 billion; and Italy receives at least US$6 billion.
Food for Thought by Steven Shamrak
Annexation of Judea and Samaria must be done only in conjunction with persuasive encouragement for all non-Jewish residents to leave, and with provision of limited and temporary residential status while they do so!
Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman and Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir each highlighted Iran as the main threat to regional stability at the Munich Security Conference but fell short of saying they would cooperate to thwart Tehran. Saudi Arabia retained its caution about being identified with Israel. While Liberman called for an alliance with Sunni states, Jubeir did not directly respond when asked if he envisions a coalition with Israel against Tehran. (Small steps toward open co-operation?)
Israel allegedly attacked outposts of the Syrian army, with Lebanese press quoting officials estimating the target was Hezbollah military buses. Six missiles were fired at the Syrian army's 3rd Division outposts, as well as toward weapons caches. Explosions could be heard in Nahla, a village in the east Lebanon mountain ridge.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called on Palestinians on Tuesday to pursue an uprising against Israel. "... by Allah’s permission, we will see that this intifada will begin a very important chapter in the history of fighting and that it will inflict another defeat on that usurping regime," Khamenei said. (When was the first "defeat"? This is a declaration of war by proxy!)
Knesset Bans Discrimination of Judea, Samaria Residents
The Knesset passed a law banning discrimination in sales, services and access to public entertainment of residents of Judea and Samaria. (This is another step in the right direction!)
After the US received intelligence that both the Palestinian Authority and Jordan’s King Abdullah II were planning a massive intifada against the State of Israel in order to prevent the Americans from relocating their embassy to Jerusalem, the Donald Trump administration warned both regimes, thus assuring that such attempts “would open hells gates for them.” This American response proves that US President Donald Trump is tough on terrorists and dictators.
Hamas has Chosen War!
1. There are currently at least 15 Hamas attack tunnels crossing the border into Israel.
2.Another rocket fired from the Gaza Strip early Monday morning exploded in open territory in the Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council. Last week, two rockets were fired from the Sinai Peninsula near the Egyptian border and landed in the Eshkol Regional Council.
On February 23, 2017, the Leviathan off shore natural gas reservoir partners adopted a Final Investment Decision (FID) for development of Phase 1A in the development plan for Leviathan Reservoir, at a capacity of approximately 12 Billion cubic metres (BCM) per year, with a budget of approximately $3.75 billion for 100% of the rights. (This is going to be a political game changer – hypocritical Europeans anti-Semites love gas, especially during winter!)
The head of the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi, Iran is buying 950 tons yellowcake from Kazakhstan. Salehi insisted that “the five members of the 5+1 group have given their written consent to the joint commission, but the UK changed its mind at last minutes following the US elections..."
Quote of the Week:
“Nobody cares about dead Arabs unless they die in Israel. It's a magical place where you become something special simply by being in close proximity to Jews. At least 3,443 of so-called Palestinian Arabs have been killed in Syria since the beginning of the Syrian civil war.” – a FaceBook posting
Hideous Political Correctness
by Steven Shamrak.
Not long ago political correctness was introduced to the West with very good intentions. It was needed to make a transformation from a barbarian and bigoted society to one that pretends to be civilised, where all are equal. Therefore, Blacks have become African Americans; the Spanics and Chinese – Ethnic minorities; Jews, Buddhists, Hindus and Muslims - Religious minorities; Man or woman are called a person.
Political correctness is not a new invention. According to the unofficial codex of intelligencia of Tsarist Russia, “A member of the intelligencia must not admit or showhis anti-Semitic tendencies.” It was never about not having them!
Now political correctness has reached new levels of absurdity. For example, blind and short people are called visually and vertically challenged or impaired. Political correctness has become a tool of aggression and intolerance in a quite slippery, ‘joking’, passive-aggressive way.
The current TV serial “Commander in Chief” has topped them all in its sophistication of subliminal, hammer-like, presentation of ‘political correctness’. It is meant to be a substitution for the highly intelligent and professionally made “The West Wing” serial. But, with an independent, female president, an African American as a Chief of Staff of the White House and an Arab Palestinian as her most trusted staffer, it can only be described and viewed as a spoof. No wonder the show has rating problems. Next, they will probably make the science fiction movie – “George Bush and Democracy on Mars”. It will be a more likely scenario than the creation of true democracy in Iraq, Iran… or in any Muslim country during this century.
In International politics, political correctness plays a big role when oil is concerned. Everyone is so deliberately polite and ‘considerate’ toward the most often, fake and even obnoxious claims and behaviour of the Arabs and Muslims. At the same time there is no interest and a complete disregard for Jewish National rights and aspirations. Jews and Israel are used as an International scapegoat in order to divert public attention from domestic or International issues! International political correctness is not applicable to Jews.
For centuries the Jewish leadership, so-called ‘official Jews’, have been playing games of appeasement and conformity with their masters. Even after the creation of the Jewish State, the Jewish leaders seem unable to shake off the Galut mentality: the mentality of the slaves of Egypt that has been enforced by centuries of abuse, hatred and anti-Semitism. They are not truly able to represent the dreams and aspirations of the Jewish people.
Is there no Jewish leader who would give a direct answer to the question – “What is the Jewish land?” Instead, they will go on and on, but would never tell it straight and simple that the League of Nations allocated the land called “Palestine” for the Jewish state and gave a temporary mandate to the United Kingdom to carry out the Leagues resolution. Or, simply, they would pull the Israeli coin of 10 Agorots out and show the engraved image of Eretz Israel. If they can’t perform such a simple act of personal ‘bravery’ by telling the world where the Jewish land is, why do they occupy the position of leadership, but instead lead Jewish people nowhere? By inaction they are deceiving and destroying the Jewish nation?
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