US SECURITY ASSISTANCE TO EGYPT AND ISRAEL - POLITICALLY UNTOUCHABLE

Since the 1970s, Egypt and Israel together have received the lion's sh are of worldwide US security assistance allocations: about $100 billio n. This aid helped the United States achieve short-term political obje ctives, but several factors suggest a need to reduce or eliminate as l east the economic portion of this assistance. Future levels of US secu rity assistance, however, will be largely determined by a Congress tha t is receptive to real or supposed Israeli needs and to the appeals of select special interest groups.