Amir Avivi: Should Israel Say Goodbye to US Aid?  

While new governments in the US and Israel try to paper over policy differences, the two allies are oceans apart on how to approach Iran’s nuclear program and the most effective ways of fostering Arab-Israeli peace. Concern has grown in Israel, especially after the Afghanistan debacle, that the US is no longer the reliable ally it used to be.

With all that in mind, is it time for Israel to reduce its dependence on US military aid? What are the pros and cons?

For some answers, we turned to Brigadier General (retired) Amir Avivi, who served 30 years in the IDF, including stints as commander of forces in Gaza and as aide-de-camp to former IDF chief of staff Moshe “Boogie” Yaalon. After concluding his active service, Avivi headed the IDF’s auditing and consulting department, where he was at the heart of the policymaking process. Since his retirement in 2017, he founded a nonpartisan defense and security forum — Habithonistim — whose goal is to educate and advocate for Israel’s national security needs and Middle East policies.

Can Israel possibly phase out or cut entirely the $3.8 billion a year it receives from the US and still maintain the type of military force it requires?

“First of all, the strategic relationship with the US is very important for Israel. We want to maintain it. Having said that, considering the stage at which Israel is at today, with its very strong economy, I think the time has come for us not to be dependent on any country, not even the US. I believe we need to change the formula and build a different type of relationship based on common interests, projects, and developments, one in which the US contributes funding and Israel contributes know-how.