LAS VEGAS, Nevada — Brigadier General Amir Avivi (retired) has a surprising message: Israel needs to wean itself off U.S. aid, but at the same time deepen U.S.-Israeli ties through joint investments in future military technology.
Avivi, a senior Israel Defense Forces (IDF) officer and founder of the Israel Defense and Security Forum (IDSF), a conservative nationalist think tank in Israel, spoke exclusively to Breitbart News on the sidelines of the Republican Jewish Coalition's (RJC) annual leadership meeting.
He said U.S. aid was crucial to Israel decades ago, but that Israel has exceeded it and it has become an unhealthy constraint.
In the long term, I think we need to change the relationship. We need to deepen the relationship, but we shouldn't rely on aid. Twenty, thirty years ago, this aid was a big part of Israel's budget. But Israel has grown. It's not a third world country. It's one of the leading economies in the world. I think Israel should invest in its own industry, and I think the United States will certainly invest heavily in joint ventures with Israel, but it shouldn't be in the form of aid. Aid puts a lot of constraints on Israel, it hurts our sovereignty and our ability to defend our core interests. So in the long term, I think we should reduce aid to the point where Israel can sustain its security needs without aid. But I think we can get more money in mutual investment. It doesn't necessarily have to be in the form of aid.
Aviv's views contrast with conventional wisdom in Washington, where pro-Israel groups like the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) have traditionally pushed for foreign aid funding for Israel, and AIPAC has often judged a politician's pro-Israel credentials by whether they voted for foreign aid in Congress.
But the ongoing war has highlighted the risks of the aid. Because American military aid often requires Israel to spend it in the United States, Israel outsources defense production to American companies. That gives the Biden administration influence over Israeli military policy, and both President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have threatened to cut off arms supplies to Israel in the midst of a war if Israel does not agree with their policies.
Listen to Avivi's full interview this Sunday night Breitbart News Sunday It airs every weekday from 7pm-10pm PST (4pm-7pm ET) on SiriusXM Patriot 125.
Joel B. Pollack is executive editor of Breitbart News. Breitbart News Sunday The show airs Sunday nights from 7 to 10 p.m. (4 to 7 p.m. ET) on SiriusXM Patriot. He is the author of “Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days,” which is available for preorder on Amazon. He also wrote,Trumpian virtue: The lessons and legacy of Donald Trump's presidency” is available on Audible. He is the 2018 recipient of the Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter. Joel Pollack.
