Member-only story
The US’s $3.3 Billion in Military Aid To Israel Is Illegal Under Its Own Laws
So, why are they breaking them? Sadly, the answer is predictable and deplorable.
A few days ago, I was enjoying a good book and a small glass of Talisker to round off a lovely weekend when I read something that chilled me to the core. Of all things to cause such a stir in me, it was a throwaway mention of an obscure piece of US legislation called the Symington Amendment of 1976. This sparked a frantic rabbit hole of investigation and research in me. After combing through reams of government reports, verified statistics, and international fact-finding missions, I found clarity and a shocking, yet altogether not unexpected, conclusion. This sordid yet sadly accurate tale is one of underhanded global influence, black gold, nuclear weapons, and devastating illegal military aid that is tantamount to proxy warfare. This all came to light because the Symington Amendment of 1976 makes the US’s $3.3 billion in annual military aid to Israel (as of 2022) Illegal.
Before I dive into this, I feel I must clarify something, as it has come to my attention that some are misrepresenting my work. In this article, I am criticising specifically the IDF, the Israeli state and the American state. These entities are entirely separate from the Israeli people, Judaism and the people of the USA. There are Jews who are vehemently opposed to Zionism. There are Jews and Zionists who despise the actions of the IDF and the Israeli government and have deep sympathy for those who suffer under it. What’s more, the US and Israeli governments, despite their democratic nature, have repeatedly failed to represent the consensus of their people and actively manipulated them to control their democracy. None of what I have said here is controversial. As such, it would be a logical fallacy to leap to the conclusion that my writing here constitutes a criticism of Judaism or the population of the US. I, and hopefully, you too, deeply oppose any form of nationalistic hate, antisemitism or racism. Hopefully, this clarification can set the stage for a more constructive discussion about the issues at hand.
Let’s start at the beginning of my rabbit hole. What is the Symington Amendment of 1976?
