New tool for visualizing the cost of supporting Israel
by Kathryn Shihadah
I have relatives living in Los Angeles. On a recent visit with them, I couldn’t help but notice huge numbers of unhoused people in the city, many of them living in tents on city streets. I realize the issue of homelessness is very complicated, and there is plenty of blame to go around.
In fiscal year 2023, the US Department of Defense had a budget of $1.73 trillion (yes, with a T) – couldn’t our armed forces get by with just $1.72 trillion, and put $10 billion toward eradicating homelessness?
The US is home to 724 billionaires, each of whom could spare a few million bucks to enable everyone to have access to housing.
There are plenty of other ways we could alleviate this crisis, if we (and our politicians) had a mind to.
The US Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR) recently came out with a tool that can enable us to see in concrete terms how the money we send to Israel could instead be used to help the needy among us.
You can find out not only how much money your state, city, county, and/or congressional district gives to Israel every year, but other specific ways that amount could be spent locally to alleviate suffering.
I tried the USCPR tool for Los Angeles, and here is what I discovered:
Californians contribute nearly $51 million to Israel’s military each year – money that could be so much better spent.
Imagine a year in which 630 additional elementary school teachers were hired to teach in Los Angeles schools.
Or 33,865 needy Los Angeles residents received food aid.
Or 8,764 college aged youth in LA received Pell grants and went to college.
Or 21,496 children got access to healthcare.
Or 688 unemployed adults were hired to work in the clean energy sector.
Any one of these scenarios could potentially change the trajectory of not just lives, but generations. Any one of these could transform Los Angeles.
Here is a bonus: while all of those Los Angeles residents are enjoying an improved quality of life, halfway around the world, Palestinians would also be reaping benefits – because US military aid to Israel directly affects Palestinians’ lives. American money pays for Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land, the bombs that Israel drops on Gaza, the army tanks that raid Palestinian towns and kill innocent Palestinians. The list goes on.
We have laws that should prevent us from bankrolling Israel. The international community has censured Israel for its policies and practices again and again. But somehow Americans – especially American politicians – have a blind spot when it comes to Israel.
Maybe if we understand the human cost of subsidizing Israel’s oppression of Palestinians, we will wake up.
Try out this interactive map from USCPR, and visualize what your city could afford if we ended US military aid to Israel.
Let’s get after the military-industrial complex and the billionaires to contribute to the wellbeing of Americans, and let’s stop paying Israel to kill Palestinians.