How US law protects Israel’s Qualitative Military Edge

How US law protects Israel’s Qualitative Military Edge Submitted by Daniel Tester on Fri, 05/29/2026 - 16:19 For decades Washington has ensured its ally has superior forces - is that about to change? Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu looks at one of the first two F-35 stealth fighters to arrive in the country at Nevatim air force base on 12 December 2016 (AFP) On The US has long been Israel 's most reliable partner in the Middle East, not least during the attacks on Iran in 2025 and 2026. At the heart of this relationship has been Washington’s long-standing policy known as Qualitative Military Edge (QME). Israel has a small population compared to neighbouring states – currently about 10m . QME aims to ensure that the Israeli military will always be qualitatively superior to potential regional rivals which can marshal larger numbers.  Washington has done this by giving billions of dollars of military aid to Israel, as well as allowing US arms manufacturers to sell cutting-edge weaponry to Israel - weaponry that's off-limits to other states in the region that might dent Israel’s military superiority.  QME developed amid the Cold War after the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. The first substantial deal was in 1968, when US President Lyndon B Johnson agreed to sell 50 F-4 Phantom jets to Israel . The supply of arms increased subsequently. With the Soviet Union heavily backing Arab states during their 1973 war, the US provided significant logistical and military support to Israel. Henry Kissinger, who shaped much of US Cold War foreign policy, said in 1977 that "security of Israel is a moral imperative for all free peoples". During the 1980s, the two-term administration of US Presi...

Original source: Middle East Eye