By John Hart | Published at Substack

President Trump, like all presidents, at least attempts to use the language of strategic ambiguity when discussing matters related to national security.

 

Trump said the United States “had nothing to do with the attack on Iran” after Israel launched strikes against Iran last week. He has also demanded Iran’s “unconditional surrender” and has consistently said Iran cannot obtain a nuclear weapon. Still, he has left the details of what United States will do to pursue its aims and when intentionally ambiguous to frustrate our enemies and protect America and our allies.

 

What is not ambiguous, however, is the history of American support for Israel. America has unambiguously and generously supported its ally Israel over 75 years across political eras and administrations.

As we report today the United States has directed $305.4 billion to Israel since 1951 (adjusted for inflation). While that amount is a very small percentage of the tens of trillions we’ve spent on our own defense and entitlement programs over 75 years, the numbers show that Israel has been our most important ally outside of NATO for many decades. While Republican administrations have given about 27 percent more in aid than Democrats ($171 billion to $134 billion) American support for Israel has been durable and bipartisan.

 

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