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Source: https://www.jns.org/opinion/aid-to-israel-keeps-america-safer/
Aid to Israel Keeps America Safer
(JNS) James Sinkinson - The $3.8 billion provided annually to Israel by the U.S. is actually an investment in America's own security - one that delivers an incomparably high return. The U.S. currently spends $75 billion on military operations in and aid for Afghanistan, $65 billion for Iraq, and $3.25 billion for Pakistan. Few Americans complain about this $143.25 billion. U.S. funds do not support day-to-day operations of the Israel Defense Forces, but rather are largely used by Israel to purchase armaments from the U.S., such as the F-35 stealth fighter, and to develop together with the U.S. new, advanced weapon systems, such as the Iron Dome, Arrow 3 and David's Sling missile defense systems. This spending on U.S. military equipment supports U.S. high-tech defense jobs and our industrial base. The nations and forces that threaten Israel are also those that threaten U.S. interests - Iran, Syria, U.S.-designated terrorist groups like Hizbullah and Hamas, and actors like al-Qaeda and Islamic State. Israel destroyed a nuclear weapons factory in Saddam Hussein's Iraq in 1981 and a Syrian nuclear facility under construction in 2007. Israel assists Egypt in destroying al-Qaeda cells in Sinai. Israel is a world leader in cyber security and intelligence, providing the U.S. with a continuous feed of priceless intelligence on Iran, Syria, al-Qaeda, Hizbullah, and Hamas. As U.S. Representative Steve Rothman (D-N.J.) put it, "For about two percent of what the U.S. spends in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan this year, Americans can take pride in the return on our investment in aid to Israel." The writer is president of Facts and Logic About the Middle East (FLAME).