Three lies about U.S. support for Israel

An Israeli Iron Dome anti-rocket system, right, and an American Patriot missile defense system are shown during a joint U.S.-Israel military exercise on March 8, 2018. (Jack Guez/AFP via Getty Images)

Perversely, Israel’s popularity in America has plummeted since it was attacked on October 7, 2023. 

Part of that erosion in support – evidenced in polling and political rhetoric – arises from honest policy disagreements among a number of Americans and even some Israelis themselves. 

Other reasons for that erosion are less benign: bad journalism, toxic social media, activists in diverse groups, and yes, old-fashioned antisemitism too. 

Another contributing factor is Israel looking like Goliath battling David. Because Hamas embeds itself among civilians, the resulting images of decimated cities, mass evacuations, and dead children erode sympathy for Israel. 

All of that is challenging enough in a public relations war. Compounding Israel’s challenge are frequent claims that willfully distort the facts about its relationship with America. 

Three lies are so common that they now pass for conventional wisdom: 1) U.S. aid to Israel is unconditional; 2) Washington never pushes back against Jerusalem; and 3) Israel receives support that no other country receives. 

Each claim is false, amplifying antisemitic notions of nefarious Israeli or Jewish power. 

1) The U.S. provides unconditional aid to Israel. 

All U.S. foreign aid is layered with conditions. Israel is no exception. Over 500 pages of federal laws and regulations ensure it. 

Stringent reporting, exclusive use of American vendors, human rights provisions, and support for the U.S. at the United Nations are but a few of those conditions. 

The $3.8 billion appropriated to Israel is entirely military aid, which carries additional conditions. 

None of this is new or unique to Israel. With England facing Nazi Germany alone in World War II, the U.S. conditioned military aid to our closest ally.  As recently as 2024, President Biden paused an arms shipment until Israel committed to additional, post-sale conditions on its use in Rafah. 

U.S. foreign aid has never been unconditional; claiming it is only in Israel’s case is a lie. 

2) The U.S. never pushes back against Israel. 

Since 1948 every U.S. president has criticized Israel, conditioned aid, blocked arms, or opposed specific policies.  

Truman imposed an arms embargo. Eisenhower threatened sanctions. Kennedy opposed Israel’s nuclear reactor. Carter labeled settlements “illegal,” and George H.W. Bush delayed $10 billion in loan guarantees. 

Such pushback continues under Trump, who has threatened to withhold support if Israel annexes the West Bank, and differences remain over Gaza’s postwar governance, West Bank violence, and Israel’s continuing battles with Hamas, Hezbollah, and Syrian Islamists.  

Even the closest of allies — America and England in World War II, the U.S. and Israel post October 7 — clash publicly.  

Saying the U.S. never pushes back against Israel is a lie. 

3) The U.S. provides aid to Israel that no other country receives. 

Israel is hardly the only beneficiary of American generosity. According to the State Department, in 2024, $72 billion of non-military U.S. foreign aid helped 213 countries and regions. 

Meanwhile, we spend far more defending other allies: maintaining 200,000 U.S. troops on over 700 overseas bases in 80 countries costs some $200 billion annually — over 5,000% more than the $3.8 billion in “foreign aid” to Israel. 

Aid to Israel is thus better understood as a relatively small defense expenditure rather than a disproportionate, unique foreign aid gift. Unlike deploying our troops abroad, nearly every dollar to Israel is spent to purchase American-made products. This “buy American” requirement is yet another condition of the aid, creating over 20,000 direct jobs and thousands more indirectly, across more than 1,000 companies in 48 states. 

Today, precisely because of cooperative projects made possible by this U.S. military aid, Israeli air defense technology is helping protect American servicemembers from Iranian missiles. 

No matter how U.S. aid to Israel is categorized, asserting that Israel receives support no other country does is a lie. 

These three lies do more than mislead. They fuel antisemitic stereotypes about Israeli and Jewish power. 

They also cast a corrosive shadow over U.S.-Israel relations, darkening the path forward to peace between Israel and her neighbors. To reach that blessed destination, the path must be paved with American support and illuminated by the truth. 

 Jay Tcath is Executive Vice President of JUF.