The United States of America (US) has a duty to its people and to the world to use its power for good and therefore should distribute humanitarian aid in ways that protect the human rights of people around the globe. It also must maintain strong alliances, protect human rights, and keep US credibility alive, a source of US power that was damaged tremendously under the Trump Administration. Therefore, the United States must continue its current aid to Israel while continuing to provide and increasing the amount of humanitarian aid provided to Palestine.
The US aid to Israel is a key part of maintaining the strong US-Israel relationship. Israel is the US’ most important ally in the Middle East due to its geographic location and its being a world leader in military and civilian technology and counterterrorism, among other things. The current agreement between Israel and the US is an allocation of $38b in military aid (of which $5b is missile defense appropriation) from Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 to FY 2028. A majority of funds are spent on US goods and services, meaning that the agreement is less an aid deal than a trade deal, essentially serving as a subsidy of US industry. This trade deal strengthens Israel’s military by allowing it to maintain the “Qualitative Military Edge” that it views as essential to its survival and stability in a volatile region. Any revocation of this aid would be a huge blow to US reliability not only to Israel but also to a world that has seen the US pull out of multiple recent agreements before the date they were set to expire. A revocation would also decrease the capacity of the two states to collaborate to contain geopolitical threats and maintain regional stability. The two currently form the core of the opposition to Iran’s growing influence in Bahrain, Iraq, Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine through Iran’s involvement in or funding of non-state actors (such as Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Yemeni Houthi rebels) and destabilizing governments (such as Bashar al-Assad’s regime) in the region. A deteriorated US-Israel military relationship would result in an even closer relationship between Israel and Saudi Arabia to counter Iran, possibly resulting in the proliferation or escalation of war and decreasing the US’ ability to encourage the balancing of human rights with security.
Cutting US aid to Israel would also not produce the effect many of the policy’s proponents desire. Increasingly independent from the US, Israel is now being fully capable of maintaining its military might and diplomatic affairs without US support. While many who propose cutting US military aid to Israel posit that this could result in Israel somehow ending the occupation and solving the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, it likely would not change the status quo of either, as Israel isn’t reliant on the US to maintain either. It would, however, wreck the US-Israel relationship that actually has the possibility to push for and assist in peace talks, negotiations, and bilateral agreements, the approaches that will actually lead to peace.
Until peace and stability are reached, the US must maintain its commitment to provide humanitarian aid to support Palestinians, of whom nearly half require humanitarian assistance, and their efforts to lay the economic and social foundations for a Palestinian state, including civil society institutions. The US should not cut or reduce humanitarian aid for Palestine, whether it be direct through USAID or indirect through UN agencies or NGOs. If anything, it should be increased, especially following bouts of fighting such as the one we just witnessed in May, as Secretary of State Blinken did this past month.
The US has commitments to people in need around the world, its allies, and itself. In order to meet each one in the Israeli and Palestinian (especially Gazan) arenas, the US must provide humanitarian aid, stick to its agreements, and maintain the capacity to exert influence and support stability.