By Daryoush Bavar, Press TV, Tehran

In May 1948, the US government, under President Harry S. Truman, became the first country to recognize Israel after it declared itself an independent state.

The US recognition came only 11 minutes after Israel's declaration of independence and laid the foundation for one of, if not the most, unusual partnerships ever in the history of international relations.

In a statement issued by the White House on April 28, 2009, Israel's 61st year of existence, US President Barack Obama, who won the White House campaigning on a promise of change, reiterated that "The United States was the first country to recognize Israel in 1948, minutes after its declaration of independence and the deep bonds of friendship between the US and Israel remain as strong and unshakable as ever."

America's pro-Israeli lobby, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), said in its Briefing Book 2009, released on April 14, 2009, that Israel and the US "have developed a resilient friendship that transcends any element of partisanship either in Washington or Jerusalem (Al-Quds).

The pillars established during the past 60 years will continue to remain strong. Even during periods of partisan divisions in Washington or during the frequent fluctuations between peace and violence in the Middle East, the United States Congress has been a bastion of support for Israel."

The "bonds of friendship" between the US and Israel and the "pillars" upon which the friendship hinges have remained strong during the past 61 years; so strong that since its emergence, Israel has routinely received the most generous US military, economic and political support.

The "pillars of friendship" that are cemented by unbelievably generous military, economic and political support that dwarfs the assistance offered to any other country.


"Israel has been the largest annual recipient of direct US economic and military assistance since 1976 and the largest total recipient since World War ll," say American authors, John J. Mearsheimer and Stephen M. Walt in their book "The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy".

A report by the Jewish Virtual Library says during 1949-2007, the US foreign aid to Israel amounted to over $101 billion.

But Shirl McArthur, a retired US foreign service officer, said in a Washington Report on Middle East Affairs in November 2008 that a conservative estimate of total direct US aid to Israel amounts to "almost $114 Billion".

And Mearsheimer and Walt say in their book "Total direct US aid to Israel amounts to well over $140 billion in 2003 dollars. Israel receives about $3 billion in direct foreign assistance each year. In per capita terms, the United States gives each Israeli a direct subsidy worth about $500 per year.”

They argue in their book that such a generous level of US support for Israel cannot be fully explained on either strategic or moral grounds.

Dr. Stephen Zunes, Professor of Politics and International Studies at the University of San Francisco, says, "The US aid relationship with Israel is unlike any other in the world."

"In sheer volume, the amount is the most generous foreign aid program ever between any two countries," adds Dr. Zunes.

The level of US aid to Israel is so mystifying that some observers doubt Israel's survival if the support is removed.

US Assistant Secretary of the Treasury during President Ronald Reagan's first term, Paul Craig Roberts, says, "The US sustains Israel's existence with money, military weapons and its veto in the United Nations. Israel survives on life support from the United States. A state that cannot exist without outside support is a failed state."

But are they all the facts about the US aid to Israel? The answer is definitely no.

Some observers say it is impossible to mention the exact figure of Washington's aid to Israel. Why? Because "since parts of US aid to Israel are a) buried in the budgets of various US agencies, mostly that of the Defense Department (DOD), or b) in a form not easily quantifiable, such as the early disbursement of aid, giving Israel a direct benefit in interest income and the US Treasury a corresponding loss," so says Shirl McArthur.

Apart from the magnitude of Washington's aid to Tel Aviv, the manner in which the aid is delivered is different from the manner it is given to other US allies.

The US gives Israel all of its economic and military aid directly in cash during the first month of the fiscal year. But other recipients receive their aid in several installments.

Frida Berrigan and William D. Hartung said in an article on July 20, 2006 that "Unlike other countries, Israel receives its Economic Support Funds in one lump sum early in the fiscal year rather than in four quarterly installments. This forces the US to pay more in interest for the money it borrows to make lump sum payments, between $50 million and $60 million per year according to Agency for International Development officials."

This is while "other countries primarily deal with the Department of Defense when arranging to purchase military hardware from US companies, Israel deals directly with US companies for the vast majority of its military purchases in the United States. Other countries have a $100,000 minimum purchase amount per contract, but Israel is allowed to purchase military items for less than $100,000."

There are several key provisions in the annual US State Department-Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill that help Israel maximize the benefits of US assistance. This benefit is denied to other US allies.

Under the Bill's "Offshore Procurement" provision, Israel is allowed to spend "no less than" 26.3 percent of the US military aid within Israel to purchase home-grown equipment.

Offshore Procurement provision has helped Israel to expand its arms industry.

Meanwhile, the US military aid has been helping Israel for decades maintain its "qualitative military edge" over other countries in the region even those who are staunch supports of Washington policies. AIPAC confirms that "Direct US security assistance provided in the annual foreign aid bill is the most tangible way that the United States helps Israel maintain its military superiority."

The US has financed Israel's development of weapons and has contributed billions of dollars to help Israel develop weapons such as the Merkava tank, the Lavi aircraft and the Arrow anti-ballistic missile system.

Despite a crippling financial crisis which has hard hit the US economy, Washington has no plans to halt its foreign aid. On May 5, 2009, Ynetnews quoted the outgoing Israeli Ambassador to Washington, Salai Meridor, as saying that the White House recently asked the Congress to approve a $2.775 billion military aid to Israel as part of the 2010 budget plan.

Despite the economic downturn, the Obama administration has no plans nullify the Bush administration's commitment to provide Israel with aid for 10 years, starting in 2009. As part of the aid, Israel will receive $2.5 billion in 2009, $2.775 billion in 2010, and in 2011 the sum will reach $3 billion. In total, the military aid is slated to reach some $30 billion until 2019.

America's excessive military aid to Israel has brought more instability and violence to the Middle East, a region that has been plagued by violence and bloodshed for the past six decades.

Israel's deadly 22-day war on the Gaza Strip that killed over 1400 Palestinians, many of women and children, is an example of how emboldened Israel will become when Washington continues to profusely provide it with massive military and political assistance.

During the onslaught, Israel was charged with massive war crimes and human rights violations. Massive anti-protests that erupted worldwide during Israel's onslaught against both the Washington and Tel Aviv, indicate that the US, Israel's chief ally, is seen as culpable for the alleged crime as well.

Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) says, "The US military aid to Israel has a dramatic effect on Israel's policies towards the Palestinians. It has increasingly been used not to pay for defense but to finance the Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands."

Two former CIA analysts Kathleen and Bill Christison say as long as Israel can rest assured that it is guaranteed billions of worth of annual US arms aid, it will not make peace with Palestinians. This is while, some observers say Washington, by committing itself to giving economic, military and political assistance to Israel, is undermining the peace agreement it is trying to promote.

Some in the US criticize Washington's level of support and commitment to Israel. They argue that a US bias toward Israel is at the expense of US relations with the Middle Eastern countries.

This article represents the views of the author, views not necessarily shared by Press TV.