From the treaty with Iran to the 3.8 billion dollars, Obama has certainly had an interesting relationship with the country of Israel this year. Israel is surrounded by enemies, almost every country in the Middle East hates them. Some countries deny their existence and some say they wish it no longer did exist. With this scary reality, Israel's only international hope is the US, it's strongest ally.

Yesterday, Obama gave Israel 3.8 billion dollars, the most given to a country so far. But were there ulterior motives for this?

The simple answer: Yes, there always are.

The longer answer: He was trying to leave a good note between our two countries before he left office. Obama has certainly waffled on his views of Israel this term. First, he passes the Iran Deal. Since Iran has literally stated that they want Israel to be wiped off the map, Israel was not thrilled about this agreement between its greatest ally and one of its greatest enemies.

So it seems like Obama gave this money to Israel in a way to appease the nation. To show that we still support Israel even after the Iran Deal. In Obama's defense, Israel is an extremely contentious issue to deal with as POTUS. Almost all of the Middle East hates Israel including any allies we might have. It's even a divided issue in our country; many liberals are pro-Palestinian while many conservatives are pro-Israel and of course Jews are almost always pro-Israel no matter the party.

However, since Israel is only the size of New Jersey and we are its biggest ally it is our responsibility to help support them. That's what Obama is doing as he prepares to leave office. After having a relatively low approval rating over the years, this is a good way for him to leave a positive legacy as someone else takes his place in the oval office. And it's always a good idea to have good relations established with allies before the next person becomes president.