Is there a viable way for Israel to wean itself off foreign aid, even if gradually?

Let's talk about bang for the buck. With Israel we get access to the best intelligence resources on the planet. And we get an actual ALLY. What do we get from most other countries we dump money into? Headaches and heartaches, How about that Pakistan. We really got our moneys worth there didn't we. Hell, we've paid for sex-ed classes for Chinese prostitutes. Let's cut the crap before we focus on aid to Israel.

1. Israel receives aid only from US, nothing from EU. EU meddles without any justification like aid or something ;)... Moreover, Israel weaned off from US Economic aid in late 1990 early 2000, the only aid Israel receives is US military aid (can be spent only on military equipment with at least 50% of US manufacturing). So, your question is strictly about US military aid, and this what I'll talk about in the rest of my answer.

2. Economically, it is possible to wean off the aid. It roughly equals to 1.5% of Israel's GDP or 3% of the budget. There are Israeli politicians which advocate in favor of weaning off the aid exactly because of the reasons you stated. Around a year ago, when Congress was seriously discussing shutting down all foreign aid because of the debt, Israeli newspapers published opinions that the main problem of the shutting down of the aid would be the long term acquisition agreements signed with US companies. Israel would not choose some of those suppliers if it would have to buy using Israeli money (Israel would buy from a non-US supplier, or not buy at all). So, if the weaning off would be slow enough to finance those agreements, or Israel would be allowed out of those agreements without penalties, then it would be possible.

3. Politically, this is a totally different issue. The military aid cannot be considered as a stand-alone issue, it should be considered in context of US-Israeli military alliance and specifically as one of the following interlinked issues:

a) US military aid to Israel;

b) US military aid to enemies of Israel or countries with high probability of becoming such in the future;

c) A ban on sales of Israeli military equipment to countries that US considers as possible future enemies (e.g. China);

d) Sales of US military equipment to countries which are in the state of war with Israel (e.g. Saudi Arabia).

The first one function like an offset for the negative impacts on Israel on the other 3. So dropping off (a) without changing other 3 wouldn't be very ally-like. However, if US finds itself in a situation that it can drop (b) and either (c) or (d), then (a) can be dropped off.

Why don't you note that Arab countries receive double to triple the amount of aid from the USA that Israel does on an annual basis? ONe has to wonder why you think aid to Israel should stop, but that the Arab regimes should not only continue to receive aid, but shoudl continue to receive it even while many are hostile to the USA and have populations that actively hate the USA. Maybe the solution is to cut aid to the Arab countries and let them implode into their sea of hatred

How about you first wean off terrorist hotbeds like SA, Qatar, Egypt, PA and UNRWA, Pakistan and Afghanistan?

Anyway, the only "aid" Israel gets is US in military funding ONLY (think of it like giving a coupon for buying US weapons to their second best customer) and donation from the world's Jewish community which do it freely out of their own will. But all that combined (around 5 billion dollars a year) is less than a percentage of Israel's yearly GDP. I think Israel is doing fine.

UNRWA, on the other hand, is making the Palestinians completely dependent on it for every basic thing their leadership is supposed to provide, ensuring Palestinians never establish anything on their own because they're too dependent on foreign aid.

Israel has discovered huge natural gas deposits off its coast.

The author blames Gaza's problems on Israel? Why do you read such tripe?

If Israel could stop fearing they would be attacked by the Arab Nations around it, much of their large defense budget could go to more productive uses.

You sounds like Abdul ben Achmed.

Many israelis and supporters of Israel asking israel to stop receiving our aid.

But we will not allow this.

From the simple reason.

We can't stop our aid to Israel without stopping our aid to Arabs and other Muslims.

Without our aid Israel will become stronger and more indepenent, but Arabs will collapce.

So, the answer is no, until Arabs will collapce completely being taken by Iran or Turkey.

Yes, there is a viable way for Israel to wean itself off foreign aid.

There is probably no way for Israel to maintain current policy and wean itself off foreign aid.

For example Israel has about 400 fixed-wing fighter / attack aircraft. If each plane flies only 200 hours per year that is 80,000 flight hours. At a very modest rate of $7,000 per flight hour $560,000,000. The real figures is probably three times that and we have not even added in ammunition training or aquisition. This is just for part of the airforce. If the other costs for the military fell on the shoulders of the Israeli taxpayer there would either be money for nothing else or Israel would have to cut its military to about 25% of it's current level.

However, to date, the US has never controlled Israeli policy and it is documented that the opposite is true.

Your main point is valid though - that Israel has to change its relationship with Europe and the US because the attitude that Europe has toward Israel is catching on in the US and Israel might as well go to plan 'B' now.

Plan 'B' in my view should be real genuine peace for the first time ever and then Israel would not need aid at all.

Democracy is also worth a try.

You're right but for the wrong reason. The founding principle of Zionism was Jewish self-reliance, yet there is no group of Jews on Earth today who rely more on gentile goodwill than those in Palestine. If I were a Zionist Jew, this irony would weigh heavy on my mind.

It is the other way around.