The United States Spends IDR 356.8 Trillion To Support Israeli Military Operations In Gaza
JAKARTA - The United States (US) has spent more than 22 billion US dollars (approximately Rp356.8 trillion) to support Israeli military operations, including in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria since October 7, 2023.
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, the US supplies 69 percent of Israel's arms needs for the 2019'2023 period. That figure increased to 78 percent by the end of 2023.
As of December 2023, the US has shipped more than 10,000 tonnes of weapons worth US$2.4 billion (approximately IDR 38.9 trillion). That number increased to 50,000 tonnes in August 2024, which was transported by hundreds of aircraft and ships.
As Israel's largest ally, the US has provided a variety of advanced military equipment, including missiles for the Iron Dome defense system, precision bombs, heavy-carrying helicopters CH-53, AH-64 Apache attack helicopters, 155mm artillery shells, bunker-destroying ammunition, and armored vehicles.
The US since 1946 has provided more than US$310 billion (approximately Rp5 quadrillion) of military and economic aid to Israel, after being adapted to inflation, according to the Foreign Relations Council, an American think tank.
The US$38 billion (approximately Rp616.2 trillion) military aid agreement signed in 2016 is still in effect today, with an allocation of US$3.8 billion (approximately Rp61.6 trillion) per year for foreign military financing and missile defense.
SEE ALSO:
The emergency package in 2024 added billions of dollars more, including USD 14.1 billion (approximately IDR 228.6 trillion) which was approved in February and USD 2.5 billion in arms shipments (approximately IDR 40.5 trillion) in March.
The use of these weapons in civilian areas raises concerns and criticism, mainly due to limited surveillance from Congress on the transfer of weapons.
By 2024, the US has allowed more than 100 arms sales deals for Israel, which largely supports missile defense systems and replenishs weapons stocks, despite tight surveillance of its impact on civilian population in Gaza.