Dr. Raphael BenLevi on Ending U.S. Aid to Israel

About this episode

Dr. Raphael BenLevi discusses the implications of U.S. military aid to Israel in light of recent military operations against Iran.

In the spring of 2026, Israel and the United States conducted joint offensive military operations against Iran: coordinating targets, dividing airspace, and operating with a degree of integration that has no precedent in the history of the alliance. The operation significantly degraded Iran's military capabilities, and it marked what many analysts regard as a genuine turning point, not just in the regional balance of power, but in the nature of the American-Israeli relationship itself. For decades, that relationship had been structured as a powerful patron supporting a dependent client. What the Iran war suggested to some observers is that Israel has—at least in part—outgrown that structure. That is the backdrop for a debate that is now live in both Jerusalem and Washington: what should American military aid to Israel look like when the current memorandum of understanding between the two countries expires in 2028? The U.S. currently provides Israel with approximately $3.5 billion annually in grants, earmarked for the purchase of American-made military equipment—an arrangement that dates to the aftermath of the Yom Kippur War and that has been renewed, and periodically enlarged…

People in this episode

Guest: Dr. Raphael BenLevi

Topics covered

• U.S. aid to Israel
• military operations
• American-Israeli relationship
• Iran conflict
• foreign policy

Keywords

• U.S. aid
• Israel
• Iran
• military operations
• foreign policy
• Yom Kippur War
• American-Israeli relationship

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: United States, Israel, Iran

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