Replacing Aid is ‘Win-Win’ Model

by Sveta Listratov

Israeli officials are laying the groundwork to phase out a longstanding US foreign aid model for a new framework based on joint investments, innovation and equal partnership.

“Israel must first and foremost be a sovereign state that respects its sovereignty and breaks free from any framework or system that enables or imposes dictates on its policy,” said Likud MK Amit Halevi.

When the current MOU expires next year, Israel could be in position to negotiate a new framework based on joint innovation, not dependency.

Under the current Memorandum of Understanding, which was signed in 2016 and is in effect from 2018-2028, Israel receives $3.8 billion annually. While $500 million is earmarked for missile defense cooperation, the remaining $3.3 billion is used entirely within the US defense industry.

“Too often, Israeli officials arrive on Capitol Hill thanking America for its generosity,” Yoram Ettinger, former Israeli ambassador and expert on US–Israel relations. “They should be reminding Congress that this is a win-win. The $3.8 billion remains in the US, supports American jobs, and boosts American security. These are not handouts. Israel is not a foreign aid recipient. It’s a battlefield laboratory for the US defense industry. Every dollar ‘given’ to Israel returns hundreds in value to American taxpayers.”

“It is not that Israel benefits so greatly because of its relationship to America. America benefits greatly from its relationship to Israel. From intelligence and military tech to life-saving medical innovations. What we get is invaluable,” the US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said.

“The US assistance to Israel is not a one-way street. It’s an investment. Israel is not a welfare case – we’re a critical ally that gives back more than we get,” said Marc Zell, chairman of Republicans Overseas Israel. “This shift in messaging can neutralize criticism on the right – and highlight how this alliance serves American interests.” (The new deal will also allow the US to reduce or even completely stop the military aid it provides to Egypt and not getting anything in return. This is something nobody talks about.)

Food for Thought: by Steven Shamrak

Israel proposed a plan to distribute humanitarian aid into Gaza. The plan would weaken Hamas by isolating it from aid distribution. The United Nations and major groups, currently running aid operations in Gaza, were briefed by Israel on the plan, but rejected it and said they would not cooperate. The ‘Ugly Nazi’ and ‘useful idiots’ do not care about the people of Gaza. Objectively, the UN goal still remains the same – to help the enemies of Israel, even the ugly blood thirty terrorist organisations like Hamas, to destroy the Jewish state!

Surge in Leftist Antisemitism

Global antisemitism surged by a staggering 108 percent in 2024 compared to the prior year. Of the 6,326 total recorded incidents around the world, 4,907 (77.6 percent) involved hate speech, 822 (13 percent) included vandalism, and 597 (9.4 percent) manifested as physical violence or threats.  68.4 percent was fuelled by far-left ideology! Incidents motivated by far-left beliefs have increased 324.8 percent from 2023 and Islamist-motivated incidents (461) jumped 54.8 percent.

Hamas Fatality Figures are Disinformation

The study found that despite claims by Hamas’s Government Media Office that some 70 percent of fatalities were women and children, figures provided by the Gaza Ministry of Health showed the real rate to be 51%. (The Gaza Ministry of Health reports that 52,000 people were killed in Gaza, 25,000+ of them are Hamas terrorists. That means that the civilian to terrorist killed ratio is 1:1, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health data. Usually, in populated combat zones, it is a ratio of 1:4 to 1:6, or more. So much for ‘disproportional’ response and accusations of ‘genocide’!)

The UN Rejected New Aid Delivery Model

The UN agency responsible for coordinating the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza formally rejected an Israeli plan to overhaul the way aid enters the Strip. The Israeli plan would entail the IDF transitioning away from wholesale distribution and warehousing of aid and instead have international organizations and private security contractors hand out boxes of food to individual Gazan families. The IDF would not be directly involved in the distribution of aid, but troops would be tasked with providing an outer security layer. Israel believes this method will make it harder for Hamas to divert aid to its terrorists.

Israel Plans to Seize Gaza

Israel approved plans to seize the Gaza Strip and to stay there for an unspecified amount of time. The new plan also calls for Gazans to move south. “One thing will be clear: there will be no in-and-out,” Netanyahu said. “We’ll call up reserves to come, hold territory – we’re not going to enter and then exit the area, only to carry out raids afterward.” The plan would be implemented after US President Donald Trump’s visit to the Middle East next week to “provide a window of opportunity” for a hostage deal. “If no hostage deal is reached, Operation Gideon’s Chariots will begin with full force and will not stop until all its objectives are achieved.” (Israel has no other options. Hamas said it is uninterested in continuing hostage-ceasefire talks.)

The BBC’s Anti-Semitic Coverage Controversy

The BBC Corporation announced that it will review the way it covers the war in Gaza after it was revealed that some of the corporation’s contributors expressed anti-Semitic views. The BBC has long been criticized for its blatant anti-Israel bias. This criticism has increased since Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack on Israel and the war in Gaza which followed.

Quotes of the Week:

“We are finally going to occupy the Gaza Strip. We will stop being afraid of the word ‘occupation’. We are finally taking control of all humanitarian aid, so that it does not become supplies for Hamas. We are separating Hamas from the population, cleansing the Strip, returning the hostages, and defeating Hamas. There will be no retreat from the territories we have conquered, not even in exchange for hostages.” – Bezalel Smotrich, Finance Minister.

Ending the war is a Threat to Israel

More than 1,000 bereaved families of soldiers who fell in the Swords of Iron War, previous wars, and terror attacks, have come out against the recent calls to refuse military service and to end the war. 

“A year and a half ago, a cruel and evil enemy launched a surprise attack carrying out murders, rapes, and kidnappings against our people. Men, women, children, and infants were burned, raped, and kidnapped in what was the single deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust. Immediately thereafter, we were forced into an existential war to bring justice to the perpetrators and defend our future as a nation. This war set out with the aim to bring back our hostages and to restore safety in our country’s south, north, and throughout the land. Hundreds of thousands of Israeli citizens were forced to flee from their homes to safety. Now we must stand up and say ‘Never Again.’ Not adhering to ‘Never Again’ will Israel allow its citizens to face another massacre or our enemies to threaten one. There has been much progress in the war, but the mission is not yet complete. Ending the war now would be a serious blow to Israel’s security and make it only a matter of time until the next massacre, G-d forbid.”

“We cannot end the war before achieving all of its aims including the return of the hostages, the elimination of the Hamas terror group, and ensuring that Gaza can never pose a threat to the State of Israel. Our loved ones went out to war to achieve victory, safety, and security. Tragically, many did not come home. It is our duty to see their will fulfilled.”

The letter concludes with a message of support for the government, “We stand with the Government of Israel and its leadership – do not accept a partial victory. We must keep going until the war is won.”

Read previous Editorials here.