Israel spends $2,300 per person on defense. Its defense industry is a major supplier to world war making. Jerusalem Post reported:
The US is by far the largest overall defense spender, with expenses running to some $607 billion, 41.5 percent of the $1.46 trillion spent on defense needs worldwide in 2008.
The U.S. supplies $2.7 billion in military aid to Israel annually. That's over 15% of Israel's military expenditures of $16.2 billion. The linkages can be seen in defense products:
The United States exercises a de facto veto over such sales because many Israeli systems incorporate U.S. technology and also because of the exceedingly close strategic relations between the United States and Israel. Several years ago, Israel had to call off a huge arms sale to China at the last minute because of U.S. objections.
It's clear Israel wants land, weapons and water over peace. The question is how much war Israeli citizens can afford? How much military spending will Americans tolerate?
