One of the cornerstones of the US-Israel relationship is that with
American support, Israel can acquire the most advanced means in which to
defend itself. American aid enables Israel to maintain a qualitative
military edge in a turbulent region. While not all American politicians
agree with all Israeli actions all of the time, outside of the most
fringe elected officials, there is widespread consensus that it is in
America's interest to ensure Israel has the ability to keep enemies
like Hezbollah, Hamas and Iran at bay. In addition to being in our
national security interest, standing with the leading democracy in the
Middle East is the right thing to do.

The Fringe
Sadly, far-left anti-Israel detractors and extreme-right isolationists
do not support aid to the Jewish state. Even when you combine these
fringe elements in Congress, they are far from the majority, but they
are very vocal, and for whatever reason, Israel seems to draw their ire
more than other foreign policy issues. They claim humanist morality (far
left) and pure American self-interest (far right) are their guiding
principles. That's ok. We too have a moral compass, and we too believe
America should act in our interests.

Aid to Israel is Morally Justified
Freedom House categorizes Israel as a "free" country. Israel is a
democracy that extends civil rights to all citizens. This should be a
mundane statement; such should be the status quo throughout the world.
But it is not. And in the Middle East, Israel is unique. The Palestinian
controlled territories are not free - but to blame this on Israel is
patently dishonest.

The Palestinians are ruled by Hamas in Gaza and the Palestinian
Authority (PA) in the West Bank. Perennial Palestinian rejectionism -
most recently put on display when the PA completely rejected the Trump
Peace proposal - is the reason there exists no state of Palestine. And
lest one be inclined to blame the Trump administration's proposed
parameters, it's worth remembering that Palestinian leaders have
rejected every peace proposal ever offered them.

Both Hamas and the PA are fundamentally anti-democratic. And the rest of
the region is sadly no different. The Middle East is better today than
it once was, but save Israel, it remains ruled largely by dictators and
theocrats.

So we are left with an island of freedom that is founded upon core
democratic values in a sea of authoritarianism. Leaving such a country
to suffer war and annihilation at the hands of the despots, tyrants and
terrorists that surround it is morally reprehensible. Thus, the
classical-liberal response to whether or not one supports US aid to
Israel should be emphatically and unequivocally, "yes."

Aid to Israel is in America's Self Interest
Sadly, for some, "morally reprehensible" is a perfectly acceptable
description of their foreign policy approach. And they don't seek to
simply put America first, rather, for the American isolationist, America
first means America alone.

We are people of faith, so we disagree with taking morality out of the
American policy discussion. Nonetheless, we think even the most amoral
foreign policy approach still justifies US support for the Jewish
state. 

First, we get a lot in return. For an investment of less than one
percent of the US federal budget, US security assistance to the Jewish
state returns significant intelligence, military advancements (e.g. Iron
Dome and the Israeli battlefield bandage) and a large port of safe
harbor in the Mediterranean (both literally and figuratively).

Second, US aid to Israel boosts the US economy, as more than three
quarters of the aid is spent here in the US. This creates American jobs,
but more importantly, ensures America maintains our quantitative and
qualitative military manufacturing superiority in an uncertain world.

Finally, the terrorists on Israel's doorstep have made clear that they
would love to be on ours. Israel fights the same enemies who find the
American way of life to be a sinful abomination. And Israel's
existence acts as a force multiplier for US interests, which thus has a
direct impact on keeping every American safe.

Isolationists may wish for a world where vast oceans are all we need to
protect our shores, but we know all too well that such is not the case.
One cannot reasonably apply an 18th century foreign policy approach to a
world with 21st century weapons and technology.

When you tune in to the CUFI Virtual Summit (June 28-30), you'll be
once again reminded that we cannot take this cornerstone of the
relationship for granted. When it comes to ensuring that Israel has the
tools it needs to defend itself our work is never finished.

Sincerely,CUFI Action Fund Team

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