It was the single largest drone attack ever carried out by any country. It was the first time Iran attacked Israel directly from its own soil, after decades of relying on proxies. And it wasn’t cheap.
The use of planes, Arrow missiles and the David’s Sling missile defense system to shoot down more than 300 drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles cost somewhere between NIS 4 billion and 5 b., Brig.-Gen. Reem Aminoach, a former financial adviser to the IDF chief of staff, told the Ynet news site.
Aminoach noted that every single Arrow missile fired costs $3.5 million. He lamented that the Israeli Treasury was holding up ordering new planes from the US – even just to replace existing ones.
The staggering attack on the Jewish state should have provided a much-needed wake-up call to anyone who doubted that Israel is still facing an immediate existential threat from the Islamic Republic. Unfortunately, too many members of Congress needed that wake-up call. The Senate cleared a $95 billion foreign aid bill to help arm Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan in February, while the House has voted on a bill to aid only Israel.
It should be irrelevant whether the military aid for Israel is accompanied by allocations to other countries. What matters is that Israel receives the aid as soon as humanly possible.
The bills have been stalled for way too long over political technicalities. The very politically divisive Ukraine question has been particularly intrusive and counterproductive.
Biden and Schumer at fault
President Joe Biden and Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer are at fault for conditioning aid for Israel on a completely unrelated conflict far away. Some Republicans have vowed to oppose Ukraine aid and have conditioned the aid on closing America’s southern border, another issue with no relevance.
This is the time to correct those mistakes. Israel is temporarily enjoying the moral high ground for not immediately responding to the mass attack. We know too many examples from the past, including October 7, to know that it will not last very long.
Seeing how quickly Israel lost support for its war effort should persuade the Jewish state to retaliate against Iran during the short window when it still enjoys the world’s backing.
Congress will also have only a short window to pass a bill that benefits Israel. All pressure should be applied to get this done one way or the other, without any further delay.
Israel fought the attack arm-in-arm with the United States and other key allies. The success in stopping each and every drone has undoubtedly brought the Israeli and American armies closer together.
After six months of fighting, the IDF is at a crossroads. It has had tremendous success in recapturing all but southern Gaza. But the goals of destroying Hamas and returning the hostages remain unachieved.
Israel is not only fighting for its people but for all of civilization, and this war is a must-win. That costs money, too.
House Speaker Mike Johnson told Fox News that he plans to move forward with Israel aid bills this week. If the bill with Ukraine cannot be passed this week, then the House should pass a standalone bill that will only require a majority if it goes through its rules committee.
It is time to pass the Israel aid bills with bipartisan support and the backing of the American Jewish establishment, and enable the much-needed money to go through.
The writer is chairman of the Religious Zionists of America, president of the Culture for Peace Institute, and a committee member of the Jewish Agency. He was appointed by former US president Donald Trump and serves as a member of the US Holocaust Memorial Council. The views expressed here are his own. Martinoliner@gmail.com