At last week’s Republican presidential debate, Vivek Ramaswamy argued for reducing U.S. miliary aid for the Jewish state, eliciting sharp criticism from Nikki Haley. Ramaswamy appears to see American support for the IDF as a sort of favor, when in fact it is a partnership that yields direct benefits to Washington. Yoram Ettinger explains:

In June 2016, Israel became the first country to use the highly computerized F-35, [an American-made combat aircraft], operationally. Israel soon became successful in solving initial glitches, which had caused concern among prospective buyers.

The scores of Israeli solutions to the F-35 glitches—in the area of data gathering and processing, electronic warfare, and firing-control accuracy—have been shared with the U.S. manufacturer and the U.S. air force, sustaining the F-35’s superiority over its global competition; sparing [its manufacturer] Lockheed-Martin mega-billions of dollars in research and development; enhancing the manufacturer’s competitive edge; increasing exports by a few additional billions; and expanding the employment base of Lockheed-Martin and its multitude of subcontractors.

Israel is [also] the most reliable, battle-tested, and cost-effective ally in the region, and a potential beachhead of the U.S. in the face of mutual threats. As stated by some U.S. officials and analysts, Israel is the largest U.S. aircraft carrier, and does not require a single member of the U.S. military on board.

Israel shares with the U.S. more intelligence than many countries, and Israel’s battle experience has been shared with the U.S., saving American lives by serving as a basis for the formulation of U.S. air-force and ground-force battle tactics, enhancing military medicine, and training U.S. soldiers in urban warfare. . . . The mutually beneficial relationship between the U.S. and Israel is a two-way-street.

For some time, opponents of U.S support for Israel have been urging the White House to end the war in Gaza, or simply calling for a ceasefire. Douglas Feith and Lewis Libby consider what such a result would actually entail:

Ending the war immediately would allow Hamas to survive and retain military and governing power. Leaving it in the area containing the Sinai-Gaza smuggling routes would ensure that Hamas can rearm. This is why Hamas leaders now plead for a ceasefire. A ceasefire will provide some relief for Gazans today, but a prolonged ceasefire will preserve Hamas’s bloody oppression of Gaza and make future wars with Israel inevitable.

For most Gazans, even when there is no hot war, Hamas’s dictatorship is a nightmarish tyranny. Hamas rule features the torture and murder of regime opponents, official corruption, extremist indoctrination of children, and misery for the population in general. Hamas diverts foreign aid and other resources from proper uses; instead of improving life for the mass of the people, it uses the funds to fight against Palestinians and Israelis.

Moreover, a Hamas-affiliated website warned Gazans last month against cooperating with Israel in securing and delivering the truckloads of aid flowing into the Strip. It promised to deal with those who do with “an iron fist.” In other words, if Hamas remains in power, it will begin torturing, imprisoning, or murdering those it deems collaborators the moment the war ends. Thereafter, Hamas will begin planning its next attack on Israel:

Hamas’s goals are to overshadow the Palestinian Authority, win control of the West Bank, and establish Hamas leadership over the Palestinian revolution. Hamas’s ultimate aim is to spark a regional war to obliterate Israel and, as Hamas leaders steadfastly maintain, fulfill a Quranic vision of killing all Jews.

Hamas planned for corpses of Palestinian babies and mothers to serve as the mainspring of its October 7 war plan. Hamas calculated it could survive a war against a superior Israeli force and energize enemies of Israel around the world. The key to both aims was arranging for grievous Palestinian civilian losses. . . . That element of Hamas’s war plan is working impressively.