The report from Brown University’s Costs of War Project was released on the anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel.
It is by a large margin the largest amount the US has contributed in military support to Israel in the course of a year. The support includes, among other things, military financing, ammunition, arms sales, financial write-offs and donations of used weapons, according to the report.
The expenses include everything from billions to maintain the Iron Dome air defenses over Israel, to cash for guns and fuel for fighter jets.
Criticizes the Biden administration
The report was finalized before the recent escalation in Lebanon in late September. It is among the first summaries of total US financial support to Israel after October 7, 2023.
The amount is a partial estimate and probably does not give the full picture, according to the report. The Biden administration is criticized for trying to hide its support for Israel, in contrast to Ukraine, where public support is well documented.
According to the researchers, the Biden administration has put effort into “hiding the total amounts and type of systems through bureaucratic manoeuvres”.
Old deal
The United States has committed itself to contributing military support following a peace agreement negotiated in 1979.
In a new agreement, the Obama administration set the amount at $3.8 billion annually until 2028.
Israel is the largest recipient of US military aid ever. In total, according to the report, they have received around 251.2 billion dollars, adjusted for inflation, since 1959. This corresponds to around 2,670 billion Norwegian kroner.
#Report #spent #billion #military #aid #Israel #year
2024-10-07 22:50:04
