Likud MK Moshe Feiglin has told
The New American that it's
immoral for Israel to take US foreign aid. But many of you who like that statement may not like his reasoning.
“I’m totally against this [US foreign] aid [to
Israel],” Feiglin told The New American, a relatively unknown
publication affiliated with far-right American politics. “It cannot be
when, first of all, the Americans are standing in line like two or three
miles in the snow to get a job. To get any kind of aid from America
when, economically, we are in a much, much better position doesn’t look
moral to me.”
Furthermore, American aid “is not in our
favor, not economically, not militarily, not in any way,” the MK told
the magazine’s Alex Newman. (He gave the interview last month in the Knesset,
but it only appeared on Monday.) “This aid serves psychological
purposes, not anything else. We are talking about 1.5 percent of our
income, of what Israel is producing — we can definitely deal without
it.”
Since World War II, Israel is the largest
recipient of US foreign aid, having received a total of $118 billion,
most of it in the form of military assistance. Currently, Washington
supports Israel with about $3 billion per year.
Newman asked Feiglin about former Republican
presidential candidate Ron Paul’s argument that the US administration is
using the aid “to obtain leverage over the Israeli government when
Israel should be thinking about its own interests rather than what
Washington thinks.”
Feiglin responded, “I 100 percent agree.”
So is Feiglin a Ron Paul supporter? I think he'd say that's none of our business. On the other hand, he certainly doesn't have a lot of confidence in the Obama administration's stewardship of the American economy.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen with
America — I’m more worried about America than about Israel,” he told the
magazine. “I know it sounds maybe a little bit crazy. However, we are a
nation of 3,300 years. We have our little ups and downs over our
history, but it seems like physically we are stronger than ever.
“History shows that big empires fall, and it
doesn’t look like America today is on the rise,” he continued. “So
there’s more — from my historical understanding — there’s more to worry
about now for America than about Israel. I think — and again, excuse me
for saying so — I think America needs Israel not any less than Israel
needs America.”
Feiglin said he is aware that his comments
sound “a bit funny” — though not because the world’s last remaining
superpower is also the world’s strongest economy, but because the US has
so many more inhabitants than Israel. “But even though I’m aware of the
numbers, I’m still saying what I’m saying because I think that Israel
carries moral weight, and also technological and strategic and
territorial weight, that is much bigger than its size.”
Ouch.
Sooo.... he thinks it's immoral to co-develop and field a bunch of the military systems like the recent Iron Dome that are protecting Israel and a bunch of other countries? That's what the traditional "aid" is. With a population of 7 mil, does MK Feiglin think Israel can tax enough to produce those systems without allied teams? Well, I like the teams. Development is very expensive.
ReplyDeleteBut MK Feiglin is right in another sense. He doesn't mention the $4+ billion in Obama Green $lu$h for unready and inadequate alt.energy installations that Israeli companies have accepted. He hasn't noticed that? He thinks doing that undermining technology is okay and "moral" for the America he says he's so concerned about?
This guy is Likud? Is he switching over to Red China? or Red Russia? Or going it alone, with 7 mil vs the billions that are baying for khyber? I, for one, would rather be dead than red, but that's just me. Actually, I would agree that this Obama Administration is surrounding Israel with the Muslim Bros, the Black Flag Al Qaeda Cannibals, etc., but the normal U.S. people are supporting Israel at the highest %% ever polled. So, how about helping us vote out these new left progressive marcuse marxist morons, rather than accepting their Green $lu$h and giving them medals? That could work better than slamming the proverbial door.
Isn't he making the case for no aid = no requirement to bow to Obama's consessions?
ReplyDeleteStay allied with the U.S but more as equals.
An isn't taking money from people with more resources rather than standing on your own two feet more of a socialist idea??
Maybe as a brit I'm missing context but
Smijj, I believe Israel stopped receiving economic aid years ago. What is remaining is defense development (and, unfortunately, Green $lu$h for un-advantageous ends). The UK also works with the US on economic transfers through trade, not US handouts. That said, fantastic Brit scientists and engineers participate in amazing defense co-development programs. They, as are Israelis and others, are vital... And the UK and Israel and other allies benefit from the outcome. As a UK person, the comparable statement to your comment about rejecting "aid" bringing about "independence" would be to say your country (UK) is dominated by co-development of new defense, or defence, :) technologies, which is patently inaccurate.
ReplyDeleteBut you won't have to weigh it for long, as the current crop of marcuse marxist progressives in the Obama Posse are domolishing our military, our economy, even our day to day way of life. Cheer if you must, stop helping the progressives (in all our countries) if you can, so they'll be voted out before voting becomes a 100% fraud, rather than the 75% mafia intimidation racket it is running as right now.