United States Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Bernie Sanders (D-VT) both used their addresses at J Street’s virtual conference this week to call for regulating US aid to Israel, stating that American money should not be allowed to bankroll Israeli policies in the West Bank that undermine prospects for Washington’s two-state agenda.
“If we’re serious about… a two-state solution, then it would be irresponsible not to consider all of the tools we have at our disposal,” Warren argued in prerecorded remarks played Monday at the Liberal Zionist lobby’s virtual conference.
“One of those is restricting military aid from being used in the occupied territories” she added.
“By continuing to provide military aid without restriction, we provide no incentive for Israel to adjust course.”
Sanders also used his remarks to express support for leveraging aid to more tightly control Israeli policies.
“I strongly believe that we must also be willing to bring real pressure to bear, including restricting US aid, in response to moves by either side that undermine the chances for peace.”
“The truth is that the United States gives an enormous amount of military aid to Israel. It also provides some humanitarian and economic aid to the Palestinians. It is totally appropriate for the United States to say what that aid may and may not be used for,” he added.
This isn’t the first time Warren and Sanders have expressed such positions. During the recent US presidential race, when both were running to head the Democratic ticket, they made similar statements about conditioning US aid to Israel on Jerusalem’s compliance with Washington’s regional interests (but of course framed in more progressive language).
The problem with these statements is that they ignore the actual reality that the aid given to Israel is actually a US government subsidy to its own arms industry. At the end of the day, it isn’t pro-Israel lobby groups like AIPAC that keep the billions flowing but rather American defense companies like Lockheed Martin that make a killing off weapons sales to Israel (and other states in the Semitic region).
It’s hard to believe that Warren and Sanders are unaware that the real lobby muscle behind US aid to Israel is actually the military industrial complex. America’s arms industry is one of the largest and most strategic sectors of the US economy. It’s unlikely that either senator would be genuinely interested in going to war with an industry perceived to be vital to the US economy, US security, and maintaining US dominance around the world.
The aid is also a means of control. In today’s day and age, imperialism is less about boots on the ground (although that happens too) and more about controlling the economies and military capabilities of smaller nations. US aid has actually harmed Israel’s economy and created a situation of military dependency Israel needs to break free from.
Israel’s situation isn’t unique. Throughout the world, economic aid is used as a tool of US foreign policy to control developing countries viewed as strategically important to American interests while at the same time funneling most of the money back to US companies (arms, oil, construction, etc.).
Once dependent on the money, these nations come under Washington’s control and are forced to comply with imperialist policies – not only in their own regions but also elsewhere in the world (Israel, for example, is the sole nation to vote together with the US at the United Nations against ending the embargo on Cuba).
So unless Warren and Sanders are completely clueless about US politics, the economy, and how neo-imperialism operates in today’s world, the only conclusion left to reach is that this is simply an example of professional politicians boldly lying to a naive public.
But it’s difficult to believe that the political operatives running J Street are actually naive enough to buy any of this. Since its founding, J Street has essentially been a Jewish mouthpiece for US empire in the Middle East, acting as a tool to legitimize US policies considered harmful by Israel’s elected leadership (former President Barack Obama honed his use of J Street into an art). So we should probably ask ourselves what agenda this “regulating aid” rhetoric is actually meant to serve.
Israeli leaders should call the bluff. By all means, the United States should keep its money, keep its weapons, and keep its imperialist two-state agenda to partition our land. Warren and Sanders are actually providing us with an opportunity to open a new discussion about freeing Israel from US dominance.
