The U.S. Needs Israel’s Defense Technology

In “The Pro-Israel Case Against Military Aid” (op-ed, May 20), Daniel Samet argues that the sooner military aid to Israel is phased out, “the better for both countries.” A phaseout might be better for Israel—in the same way the phaseout of U.S. economic aid between 1996 and 2006 strengthened Israel’s economy, by making it less dependent on American aid. It isn’t clear that the phase-out would be better for the U.S.

American assistance to Israel requires that Israel spend it almost entirely on American-made defense systems and weapons. The aid isn’t simply to Israel but to the U.S. defense industry. It supports American jobs, American weapons production and American participation in the advanced technology pioneered by Israel—such as Iron Dome, Iron Beam, Arrow 3 and David’s Sling.

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