Israel’s wars are expensive. Paying the bill could force tough choices – ABC
US taxpayers are paying a large share of Israel’s war costs.
Israel’s military spending rose from $1.8 billion a month before Hamas attacked it on Oct. 7, 2023, to around $4.7 billion by the end of last year, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. The Israeli government spent $27.5 billion on the military last year. Since the Gaza war began a year ago, the US has spent more than $18 billion on military aid to Israel.
The war has inflicted a heavy toll on Gaza’s already broken economy. “90% of the population has been displaced and the vast majority of the workforce is unemployed. The West Bank economy has also been hit hard, where tens of thousands of Palestinian laborers lost their jobs in Israel after Oct. 7 and Israeli military raids and checkpoints have hindered movement. The World Bank says the West Bank economy contracted by 25% in the first quarter.”