It isn’t every day Jewish conservatives get to see the kind of people who claim to have our country’s best interest. Sen. Rand Paul is a case in point. In his latest statement, Rand Paul is espousing an idea that we have heard from his father, Ron Paul, over the years: It’s time to reduce our country’s aid to Israel.

Paul claims that the money is fueling a new arms race in the Middle East and sending money to Israel may only serve to harm it. Did it ever occur to the senator that Iran, Russia, and China would continue fanning the flames of conflict—even if Israel never received a nickel of American financial support? Did he forget about the trigger-happy Jihadists in Gaza, Syria, Lebanon, and Iran have to date never stopped shooting missiles into Israel?

I must confess, for a man who hopes to run for President, Rand Paul’s delusional attitude is totally out of touch with reality.

The shock value of his comment will obviously find resonance with some Democrats and Republicans who have long felt the same way. Fortunately, they are not the majority. To date, Israel receives $3 billion in military aid each year. However, what Rand Paul neglected to mention is that unlike Egypt, which receives 1.5 billion—but never pays it back—Israel does pay back every dollar it borrows. Israel has never defaulted on its financial obligations to the United States.

Now if Paul wants to save money, maybe the United States should stop acting like the world’s policeman. The United States is not Rome reborn. Rome spent itself out of existence fighting endless wars. Are we going to repeat the same pattern?

For the record, keep these facts in mind:

In 1992, Israel received $10 billion in loan guarantees from the American government to help the nation rebuild after its economy took a major hit following the Gulf War. Israel repaid every loan it withdrew and the United States was never called on to fulfill it guarantor obligations. Likewise, Israel has never defaulted against the loan guarantees it has received. Loan guarantees for Israel also have no impact whatsoever on U.S. domestic programs or taxpayers. Helping Israel will not take any money away from the billions of dollars in guarantees and loans devoted to meeting America’s immediate needs at home. Unlike foreign aid, with loan guarantees taxpayer dollars will not be going to Israel outright.

In principle, Israel ideally uses the guarantees to offset the high costs of constantly fighting terror, preparing for future wars, building national infrastructure and buffering its high-tech community in case of another international meltdown. Israel is a safe investment for our country—and Rand Paul knows it.

According to FLAME (Facts and Logic About the Middle East)

• What’s in it for the United States? The loan guarantees are essentially a humanitarian undertaking, without cost to the United States. But there will be substantial tangible and measurable benefits for the United States. Economic activity in Israel, as a result of this immigration, is projected to cause a surge of $170 billion in imports over the next five years, at least $30 billion of which is projected to be purchased in the United States. In addition, the U.S. taxpayer will benefit to the tune of several billion dollars from the servicing of the debt, most of which will be placed with U.S. banks. About 70% of the approximately 250,000 housing units required to shelter the immigrants will be purchased in the United States, at a cost of not less than l45 billion. All of this will create tens of thousands of new U.S. jobs and will most favorably impact on the U.S. foreign trade balance.
• Israel’s record as a major non-NATO ally is unique in a world of uncertainty and shifting alliances. Our national interest is served in strengthening this ally and in assisting it in the absorption of what may be as many as a million new immigrants. These immigrants will further strengthen the only democracy in the Middle East — politically, economically and militarily, and thus make even more valuable this outpost of Western civilization in an area in which the United States has such a vital stake. The United States can take great credit for the exodus of Jews from the former Soviet Union to Israel. We have assumed the moral obligation to see that migration to succeed. The loan guarantees will not cost us anything; on the contrary, they will be of great economic benefit to the United States.[3]

This past September, President Obama forgave Egypt 1 billion dollars’ worth of debt. Of course he is not the first president to have done so. Actually, Obama looks more like Scrooge when compared to George Bush, who President Bush forgave Egypt’s military debt to the United States of $7.1 billion as a reward for Egypt’s support for the U.N. economic embargo against Iraq and the huge U.S. military presence in Saudi Arabia.[2]

So, Senator Paul, it’s time you really start getting your facts straight and leave Israel alone.

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Notes:

[1] “Sen. Rand Paul calls for reduction in foreign aid to Israel” USA News for January, 2013, 22:49 http://rt.com/usa/news/paul-foreign-aid-israel-518/

[2] Steve Greenhouse, “Half of Egypt’s $20.2 Billion Debt Being Forgiven by U.S. and Allies” New York Times, May 27, 1991 http://www.nytimes.com/1991/05/27/business/half-of-egypt-s-20.2-billion-debt-being-forgiven-by-us-and-allies.html

[3] http://www.factsandlogic.org/ad_40a.html