I met a few israelis for the first time down in Brazil recently, and i was a little shocked. Every person, male and female, has to spend a minimum of 2.5 yrs in the Army as soon as they graduate. After that, they are in the reserves until age 42. (But thats besides the point).
Anywho, the two I spoke to had seen combat against palestinians, and they had some not-to-pleasant things to say about that.
The US needs to fund Israel. They are fighting for their lives over there. But at least you know the money isnt going to waste. The Israeli military is one of the best, if not the best trained force in the world.