Israel’s Welfare Dependency Grows: Largest Recipient of U.S. Foreign Aid

Israel now receives $3.2 billion in direct foreign assistance, courtesy of American taxpayers each year. This is about one-fifth of America’s entire foreign aid budget. In per capita terms, the United States gives each Israeli a direct subsidy worth about $500 per year.

Indeed, the United States has given more money to Israel than to any other country. An October 2013 Washington Report article by Shirl McArthur conservatively estimates the total at $130 billion.

According to McArthur, the cumulative tab is even higher. “The indirect or consequential costs to the American taxpayer as a result of Washington’s blind support for Israel exceed by many times the amount of direct U.S. aid to Israel. Some of these ‘indirect or consequential’ costs would include the costs to U.S. manufacturers of the Arab boycott, the costs to U.S. companies and consumers of the Arab oil embargo and consequent soaring oil prices as a result of U.S. support for Israel in the 1973 war, and the costs of U.S. unilateral economic sanctions on Iran, Iraq, Libya and Syria.”

How does Israel manage to pull such a money scam on the American people? It’s simple, as political activist Ralph Nader explains: “The Israeli puppeteer travels to Washington. The Israeli puppeteer meets with the puppet in the White House; and then moves down Pennsylvania Avenue and meets with the puppets in Congress; and then takes back billions of taxpayer dollars.”