Jerusalem – U.S. Sen. Rand Paul on Monday called for a gradual reduction of American foreign aid, delivering the message in an unlikely venue — since Israel is among the top recipients of American assistance.
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Paul, a Republican from Kentucky, told reporters that the U.S. can’t afford to keep borrowing money and then handing it out to others, even to allies like Israel.
“It will harder to be a friend of Israel if we are out of money. It will be harder to defend Israel if we destroy our country in the process,” he told the Jerusalem Institute for Market Studies, an Israeli think tank. “I think there will be significant repercussions to running massive deficits … you destroy your currency by spending money you don’t have.”
Paul, a longtime opponent of foreign aid, acknowledged he was expressing a “minority opinion” and doubted Congress would end foreign aid in his lifetime. “It’s unlikely anything changes, but I think it is worth discussing,” he said during his first trip to Israel.
Israel gets about $3 billion a year in military aid from the U.S.
Paul insisted Washington should first cut aid to countries with strained ties to America, such as Pakistan and Egypt, and only later wean Israel off aid. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has previously stated he was interested in doing that.
Paul said the aid, used in large part by Israel and Egypt to buy U.S. weapons, was creating an arms race in the Middle East that could ultimately harm Israel, not help it.
“I’m concerned that some of the weaponry that we are currently giving to Egypt may one day be used against Israel,” he said.
Most American military assistance to Israel must be spent on U.S.-made equipment, providing a boost to the military industry there.
Paul suggested Israel would actually benefit from less aid, saying it would enhance its sovereignty by not having to approach the U.S. “on bended knee” when making its own decisions.
“I don’t think you need to call me on the phone to ask permission for what you want to do to stop missiles from raining down on you from Gaza,” he said.
Paul, the son of former presidential candidate Ron Paul, is mentioned as a potential presidential contender in 2016.
A member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Paul is scheduled to meet with Netanyahu, President Shimon Peres and other Israeli leaders before heading off for meetings in Jordan and the Palestinian Authority.
The merits of aid to Israel notwithstanding, his position is that of Moshe Feiglin.
I agree; independent countries should be independent.
Besides, with the gas begining to flow in Israel, there should be revenue to IY”H replace the tzedaka WE can’t afford to give. Of course we should stop supporting our enemies like pakistan, egypt and the like. That money will only bite us later!
What this dufus doesn’t realize is that most of the $3B goes back to the US, since Israel uses it to purchase US military equipment.
The debtor is a slave to the lender
Stop sending aid to the Palestinians.
US annual expenditure in its own army is about $500 billion a year. So the $3 billion in Aid to Israel is less than 1% of what the US spends on itself. It is a very worthwhile investment into Israel for many reasons, aside from the fact that the money is also used to buy US equipment and stimulate the US economy.
The US spends far more money keeping US troops in Europe that it does on foreign aid to Israel. There is no need for US troops to be in Europe. Furthermore, the US spends more money keeping US troops in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Turkey than it spends in aid to Israel. Shouldn’t the Saudis and Kuwaites pay the US for the protection they are now getting for free?
The idea of stopping to send so much money abroad is not bad, but why start with our friend Israel? Why shouldn’t we stop sending money to supprot the terrorists, like; Palestine, and their freinds?
So the chareidim aren’t the only ones taking handouts. What chutzpa the frei have to kvetch about the frumma.
Before we start with Israel’s 3 billion, lets see precisely what Flakistan, no friend of the US, and Egypt, another metzia, not to mention all the other countries around the globe, receive in US funding annually, courtesy of my hard earned dollars, taxed by our federal goverment.
It might be wise to completely halt foreign aid, across the board, at least until we bring the federal budget deficit into balance, instead of raisng taxes or/and cutting certain benefits to low income earners, charity begins at home, afterall.
As for Paul Rand, he’s smart enough to call for reduction in aid to Israel on Israeli soil. Had he called for a reduction of foreign aid whilst in Egypt et al, not sure if he would have made it back to the airport……………………..
And what about commensurate cuts in aid to Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Dubai, Turkey, et cetera?
One thing to keep in mind is that during the 80’s, Israel had developed and even built 2 working prototypes of a new highly sophisticated fighter jet called the Lavi. It would have been completely homegrown, including the engines, as Pratt and Whitney had a plant in Israel. The US applied a lot of pressure on Israel to cancel the program, since it would have been competition for the F16 in worldwide markets. (Israel didn’t need enough for itself to be cost-effective, without the potential to export planes to other countries.)
Because of US pressure, it was cancelled. The US had to then promise aid to the Israelis to buy US planes as a consolation prize, or inducement to drop the idea. Viewing the success of Iron Dome, we can surmise that this would have been quite some plane, being built with Israeli technology.
So while I would like to see Israel become independent of the US, however, that must allow Israel freedom to develop its own arm industry, as well.
The US also gives billions in aid to Egypt.
In 1984, when Shimon Peres was interviewed on CNN, he stated that “there will come a day when we won’t need a penny from the United States”. After nearly 30 years, we are still waiting.
I see absolutely no problem with what Rand Paul said. I would gladly repeat it and sign off on it.
War machinery stagnates the economy. Remember “guns and butter”?
Let Rand Paul worry about his son that was arrested this past weekend. He’s got as good a chance of being President of the US in 2016 like Romney does.
a great idea,we depend on hashem only,imm geula!
Why not kill two birds with one stone? Stop the aid to Israel, ship bochrim who don’t enlist in IDF to USA and let USA fund their Torah learning with the freed up money via HUD etc- the Lakewood fed govt support package.
I used to think I was a Libertarian. Then Ron Paul began to run for president. He is very consistent doctrinally. But he showed Libertarianism to be nasty and stingy. In any case, he turned me away from the idea.
Don’t you wish you were at that meeting? Great fun. But you have to give Paul snaps for going out of his way to upset people.