The Heritage Foundation is proposing that the U.S. wind down military aid to Israel as part of a strategy to “re-orient its relationship” with the country over the next two decades, a notable stance for the prominent conservative think tank given the long and deep support for Israel among conservatives and Republicans.
The Heritage report on moving the U.S.-Israel strategy, “From Special Relationship to Strategic Partnership,” was crafted by its defense experts and released on Wednesday.
“Just as Israel once advanced from a financial assistance recipient to an economic partner of the United States, so, too, should it move from a military financing recipient to a security partner,” the report says.
The report outlines a broad strategy that, while calling to wind down military aid, seeks to keep a strong long-term U.S.-Israel relationship, in part through strengthening trade and imposing sanctions on its adversaries.
Release of the report was accompanied by the Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter canceling a scheduled appearance at a Heritage Foundation event scheduled to promote the new report, as first reported by Jewish Insider.
A spokesperson for the Israeli embassy told The Hill that the embassy “greatly values” its “working relationship and friendship” with the Heritage Foundation, attributing the cancellation to a “miscommunication.”
“Due to a miscommunication regarding the format for the event, the ambassador regrettably will not be able to attend, but looks forward to future engagement,” a spokesperson for the Israeli embassy said in a statement.
The Israeli Embassy did not respond to a follow-up question of what was the miscommunication over the format of the event. A spokesperson for House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Brian Mast (R-Fla.), who is staunchly pro-Israel and was also slated to be at the event, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A Heritage spokesperson said that the event was postponed because two of the event speakers “withdrew due to unforeseen circumstances,” and went on to defend the report.
“The report set to be unveiled at the event was grossly misrepresented as a hostile attempt to chop aid, by people who prefer to see Israel weak, vulnerable, and forever dependent on the United States,” the spokesperson said. “Heritage stands by its work as the report underscores the urgent need to strengthen and elevate bilateral ties between the U.S. and Israel.”
The Heritage report calls for the U.S. to wind down military aid to the Jewish state by 2047 as it increases spending on “cooperative programs,” and for Israel to start buying U.S. arms starting in 2039.
“From 2029 to 2047, the United States should transition its military financing of arms procurements to direct military sales to Israel,” it continues. “Israel will then be positioned to celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2048 as an independent and full partner to the U.S. A concurrent increased investment in cooperative program spending will ensure that the defense industrial base ties between the U.S. and Israel continue to expand.”
Specifically, it calls for the U.S. to increase its foreign military financing of Israel to $4 billion annually starting in fiscal year 2029, and then in 2032 start gradually decreasing it by $250 million each year until it ends in 2047.
