To the editor:

Thank you to the author of the letter of June 19, which offered some direction for action to frustrated taxpayers who have seen billions of dollars every year unconditionally sent to Israel to finance the devastating campaign of carnage and destruction against the Palestinian people. According to the IMF, Israel has a population of 9,756,700 and a GDP per capita of $57,760 (higher than Germany, France, England and Canada). Yet Israel was, and is, the largest cumulative recipient of US foreign aid, having been at the top of the list since 1951. It slipped down the list to #3 between 2003-2020, when the biggest amount of US aid went to Iraq or Afghanistan, and was #2, just below Ukraine in 2022, according to the USNews and World Report, Oct 10, 2023.

We looked into HR3565, the ‘Block the Bombs’ Act as referenced in the June 19th article, and we contacted our representatives to urge them to support this bill which simply “provides for a limitation on the transfer of defense articles and services to Israel.” Note that the wording of this bill is “limitation,” not “cessation.” Taxpayers deserve better from their representatives at a time when Rhode Island cannot afford to maintain its bridges. One can only marvel at the blatant solidarity of the US lawmakers rallying behind unmitigated US defense funding packages to Israel. Thank you also to the editor for allowing a platform for free speech sharing.

Jean and Philip Sharac
Bristol