Sondland Defends $3.8 Billion Israel Aid as Under 0.5% Security Investment

1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 5

$3.8 billion in annual U.S. security aid to Israel should be judged by strategic return, not sticker price, Gordon Sondland argues, calling the alliance a direct investment in American security rather than charity.
Under 0.5% of the roughly $1 trillion U.S. defense budget, that aid helps secure Israeli intelligence on Iran and terrorism and supports joint work on Iron Dome, David's Sling, Arrow, cyber tools and battlefield technology.
Sondland says much of the funding cycles back to the United States through purchases and coproduction of American weapons, sustaining U.S. defense jobs and the industrial base.
He argues Washington can still pressure Israel when it disagrees, but abandoning the alliance would force the United States to spend far more to replace Israel's intelligence, deterrence and regional role.
The broader warning is that a weakened or vanished Israel would strengthen Iran, embolden Hezbollah and Hamas, and open more room for Russian and Chinese influence in the Middle East.