Israel is entering its second year of war, marked by a year of turmoil overseas and friction in the U.S. regarding federal assistance to Israel following the Hamas terrorist attack on Oct. 7, 2023. Since that attack, the United States has provided $17.9 billion in military aid to Israel, the most the U.S. has ever sent to the nation in a one-year period, according to analysis from Brown University’s Costs of War Project.
Over the past year, the Biden administration has recommended a cease-fire, a move Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated will not occur until Hamas has been dismantled.
In an interview with “60 Minutes,” Vice President Kamala Harris addressed the aid sent to Israel and the working relationship with Netanyahu.
“The aid we have given Israel allowed Israel to defend itself against 200 ballistic missiles that were just meant to attack Israelis and the people of Israel,” Harris said.
Harris was also asked about her relationship with Netenyahu.
“With all due respect, the better question is do we have an important alliance between the American people and the Israeli people, and the answer to that question is yes,” Harris said.
Of the nearly $18 billion in aid provided to Israel, $4 billion has gone to replenishing Israel’s Iron Dome and David’s Sling defense systems, which intercept incoming missiles. An additional $1.2 billion has been allocated for developing the Iron Beam system, another rocket interception defense.
Furthermore, $4.4 billion has been used to replenish U.S. stockpiles of equipment for Israel, $3.5 billion to assist Israel in purchasing advanced weapons and $1 billion has been spent on producing more artillery. The remaining $3.8 billion in emergency military aid is part of Israel’s usual annual military assistance from the U.S.
While assisting its ally in the Middle East, the U.S. is also funding another ally at war. Since the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict over two and a half years ago, the U.S. has sent more than $175 billion to Ukraine, including over $60 billion approved by Congress in April 2024.
Since 1959, the U.S. has provided Israel with a total of $251 billion in inflation-adjusted dollars.
