Congressman Chuck Edwards approved $14.5 billion in military aid to Israel last week [recently]. Last year, the U.S. sent $3.3 billion, which brings the total aid sent to Israel since WWII to $332.4 billion! And, Israel pays the U.S. back zero. Israel is fighting an army of 30,000 men with an army of 169,000 and can draw a further 465K from its reserves. The area of siege is 10,600 square miles.
There are 100,000 U.S. troops stationed in Europe, and probably twice that in civilians, under threat of war as Ukraine battles Russia’s expansion into Europe. A war that also threatens our NATO allies in Europe. Allies that have come to the aid of the U.S. numerous times and that support democracy. Ukraine has received $60 billion in aid from the U.S., with most of that in military assistance. Ukraine has to pay back a portion of that with interest.
Ukraine has a military of 800K active and 900K reserve fighting a country with 1.15 million active and 2 million reserve to draw from. The area of fighting for Ukraine is about 250,000 square miles but the threat to U.S. allies easily doubles that theater of war.
If Ukraine is lost to Russia, Russia will control the food supply of millions of people all over this planet. Starve or fight for Russia will be the two choices for those millions. How long can the United States and other democracies hold out against that organized threat? If Ukraine loses to Russia, the theater of war will be massive.
Israel has been fighting in the same place with the same people since 1948 and no amount of military aid has resolved the issues. Ukraine needed help in 2014, but we failed to stop Russian aggression then and that led Russia to think it could continue to expand. The war in Ukraine has a clear objective and a definitive ending; force Russian military out of Ukraine and Crimea.
Why does the House and Senate in Washington tie aid to Ukraine with immigration or any other matter?
Doesn’t the threat of WWIII stand on its own? Aid to Israel isn’t tied to anything! I am told this is due to the very wealthy lobbying that backs Israel. The same lobbying that puts Europe and NATO allies in the crosshairs of Russia. Chuck Edwards, Thom Tillis, and Ted Budd, in voting to hold up aid to Ukraine, are assisting Russia’s totalitarian government to take over Europe. They have let Israel draw their focus and our money away from security for the United States.
Mary Oder, Franklin, N.C.