||| Stephen Zunes, Washington report on middle eastern affairs -- Total U.S.
aid to Israel is approximately one-third of the American foreign- aid
budget, even though Israel comprises just .001 percent of the world's
population and already has one of the world's higher per capita incomes.
Indeed, Israel's GNP is higher than the combined GNP of Egypt, Lebanon,
Syria, Jordan, the West Bank and Gaza. With a per capita income of about
$14,000, Israel ranks as the sixteenth wealthiest country in the world;
Israelis enjoy a higher per capita income than oil-rich Saudi Arabia and are
only slightly less well-off than most Western European countries. AID does
not term economic aid to Israel as development assistance, but instead uses
the term "economic support funding."
||| Tom Malthaner, Washington report on middle eastern affairs -- Most
Americans are not aware how much of their tax revenue our government sends
to Israel. For the fiscal year ending in September 30, 1997, the U.S. has
given Israel $6.72 billion . . . The $6.72 billion figure does not include
loan guarantees and annual compound interest totaling $3.1 billion the U.S.
pays on money borrowed to give to Israel. It does not include the cost to
U.S. taxpayers of IRS tax exemptions that donors can claim when they donate
money to Israeli charities. (Donors claim approximately $1 billion in
Federal tax deductions annually. This ultimately costs other U.S. tax payers
$280 million to $390 million.) When grant, loans, interest and tax
deductions are added together for the fiscal year ending in September 30,
1997, our special relationship with Israel cost U.S. taxpayers over $10
billion.
Since 1949 the U.S. has given Israel a total of $83.205 billion. The interest costs borne by U.S. tax payers on behalf of Israel are $49.937 billion, thus making the total amount of aid given to Israel since 1949 $133.132 billion. This may mean that U.S. government has given more federal aid to the average Israeli citizen in a given year than it has given to the average American citizen.
||| Richard H. Curtiss, Washington report on middle eastern affairs --
America's $84.8 billion in aid to Israel from fiscal years 1949 through
1998, and the interest the U.S. paid to borrow this money, has cost U.S.
taxpayers $134.8 billion, not adjusted for inflation. Or, put another way,
the nearly $14,630 every one of 5.8 million Israelis received from the U.S.
government by Oct. 31, 1997 has cost American taxpayers $23,240 per Israeli.