Last week, 83 of 100 US Senators signed a letter urging United States President Barack Obama to increase military aid to Israel before the end of his presidency. Although the senators did not specify an amount, Israel is currently seeking $4.5 billion (Dh16.55 billion) annually, an increase from the $3.1 billion it currently receives from the US in a 10 year arrangement that is due to expire in a year. Obama, in order to appease Israel for the Iran deal, has indicated that he will once again renew military aid to Israel.With a per capita gross domestic product of $36,000, higher than that of several US states, Israel is hardly in need of foreign assistance. And yet, as it currently stands, Israel is the largest recipient and the largest cumulative recipient of US foreign military assistance since the Second World War, with the US providing Israel more than $125 billion since that time and, last year alone, more than 52 per cent of the US military assistance budget.