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One of America's Best Investments - U.S. Military Aid to Israel
(Los Angeles Jewish Journal) Micha Danzig - The U.S. receives profound strategic, technological, and humanitarian benefits from its alliance with Israel. Military support for Israel remains one of the most cost-effective and mutually beneficial investments the U.S. has made in modern history. Moreover, U.S. military aid to Israel must be spent on American-made products by U.S. manufacturers. Israel serves as a vital strategic partner in the Middle East - a region where the U.S. has few reliable allies. Ports like Haifa and Ashdod serve as secure and hospitable docking locations for the U.S. Navy and house emergency military stockpiles for rapid deployment. From the Cold War to the present day, all U.S. presidents have understood that support for Israel is not charity - it is a sound investment in national security. During the Cold War, Israel served as a bulwark against Soviet influence in the Middle East. Today, it stands as a front line of defense against radical Islamist forces and Iran's hegemonic ambitions. In 2007, Israel independently destroyed Syria's nuclear reactor just before it went operational, preventing Syria under Assad from being a nuclear power and thereby saving the U.S. from having to intervene militarily itself. Israel shares critical intelligence with the U.S. on terrorism, cyber threats, and nuclear proliferation. Israeli expertise in counterterrorism, honed through decades of necessity, has helped shape American homeland security strategies. Joint efforts in missile defense systems have enhanced both nations' defensive capabilities. Israeli firms develop high-tech protective gear, drones, unmanned vehicles, and bomb-detection systems that directly benefit U.S. soldiers.