Walter E. Block and Oded J. K. Faran
Critics of U.S. aid to Israel frequently portray the relationship as entirely one-sided, questioning what America gains from this alliance. Senator Bernie Sanders recently argued on the Senate floor that “what we are doing today is aiding and abetting the destruction of the Palestinian people”¹, while Al Jazeera claims “the US is no longer the senior partner in the US-Israel relationship”². The Cato Institute goes further, asserting that “Israel Is a Strategic Liability for the United States”³.
These critiques miss the substantial strategic benefits America derives from this partnership. As one Quora discussion on this topic notes, many people genuinely “don’t understand the benefit” of the U.S.-Israel alliance⁴ to the former. Here’s what the data reveals about why this alliance serves U.S. interests.
Military Capabilities and Strategic Value
According to the 2024 Global Firepower Index, Israel ranks as the world’s fourth most powerful military, despite having only 9.5 million citizens⁵. This ranking is confirmed by the Times of Israel, which reports that “Israel ranks among 10 most powerful countries in annual list; 4th strongest military”⁶. This places Israel ahead of nations like the United Kingdom, France, and Germany in overall military capability. For context, Russia and China occupy the second and third positions respectively, making them problematic alliance partners for the United States.
Israel’s military effectiveness becomes even more impressive when considered on a per-capita basis. The Israeli Defense Forces maintain approximately 170,000 active personnel and 465,000 reserves, creating one of the world’s highest military participation rates relative to population size, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies Military Balance 2024⁷.
Recent conflicts demonstrate this capability. During the 2023-2024 Gaza conflict, Israel has simultaneously engaged multiple adversaries while maintaining operational security and minimizing civilian casualties through precision strikes and advance warnings. Compare this to Russia’s performance in Ukraine, where after nearly three years of warfare against a much smaller military, victory remains elusive despite Russia’s willingness to target civilian infrastructure without warnings of any kind.
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