Dr. Eli David: No need for American "aid" to Israel

Pro-Israel influencer Dr. Eli David endorsed an opinion column in the Jerusalem Post today (Monday) which called for an end to defense aid to Israel.

David, who retweeted an article by pro-Israel account Micah Avni, said on X that: "Micah Avni is right. Israel is a strong, prosperous country. There’s no reason for the U.S. to provide military “aid” to Israel. Israel should pay for the weapons it needs—and the U.S. should be a great ally, selling them as needed (unlike Biden, who imposed an embargo)."

In his op-ed, Avni argues that Israel is a strong, prosperous country that no longer needs to depend on another country's generosity for its survival, especially since American aid accounts for less than 3% of the country's national budget.

Avni is quick to qualify this by saying that "We’re proud to be America’s closest ally. We’re grateful for the decades of support. But gratitude is not a strategy. And strength built on dependence is not real strength" and that "This is not about turning away from America. The bond between our nations is deep, moral, strategic – and permanent. But real friendship must be based on mutual respect, not reliance. Real sovereignty means standing tall, not holding out a hand."

Avni noted that there are powerful forces arising on America's political right and left who would easily exploit Israel's dependence on aid to their own ends - including the progressive wing led by AOC and the interventionist-skeptical wing led by people such as Vice President JD Vance. Israel could thus very easily find itself losing access to aid,m anyway - so better to preempt with a new arrangement.

Avni ends his article by saying that "if we continue to act as if aid is a permanent entitlement, we risk alienating the very people who support us. But if we voluntarily give it up, we earn their trust, their admiration – and their long-term backing.

"As Ronald Reagan once said, “We maintain the peace through our strength; weakness only invites aggression.” The same is true of alliances. A strong, self-reliant Israel will be respected more, not less."