New deal: $30Bn in extra US military aid to Israel

[montel]

US Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns has signed a deal that will provide Israel with $30bn (£14.8bn) of military aid over the next 10 years. The Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, has said the aid will preserve his country's military advantage over other countries in the Middle East. The new military aid package represents a 25% increase from present levels. The US announced multi-billion-dollar arms deals with Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and other Gulf states last month. Washington says it wants to help its allies in the Middle East meet their security needs and counter the growing power of Iran in the region.

'Investment in peace'

Mr Burns and Israeli Foreign Ministry Director-General Aharon Abramovitz signed the memorandum of understanding on the new aid package at a ceremony in Jerusalem. Needless to say, given Israel's predicament, living in a region that is very violent and unstable, its military edge is of interest to our country, and we've committed to that
Nicholas Burns
US Undersecretary of State

Arms deal analysis

It will see Washington transfer $30bn over the next decade, compared to $24bn over the past 10 years. The first payment of $2.55bn will be made in October 2008. Mr Burns called the aid package an "investment in peace", saying "peace cannot be made without strength". "Needless to say, given Israel's predicament, living in a region that is very violent and unstable, its military edge is of interest to our country, and we've committed to that," he said. The money must be used to purchase military equipment from the US defence industry, although Israel will also be permitted to use 26.3% to buy equipment from local companies. The arrangement requires Congressional approval, but Mr Burns said he thought there would be little opposition, the Associated Press news agency reported.

'Iranian challenge'
After arriving in Jerusalem on Wednesday evening, Mr Burns met Mr Olmert briefly.

US ARMS AID TO ISRAEL
$30bn over 10 years
1st payment of $2.55bn in 2008
Annual payments rising to $3.1bn by 2011
26.3% can be spent in Israel
Rest must be spent on US arms

Mr Olmert asked the US envoy to thank President George W Bush and the secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, for their efforts in bringing about the accord. "The aid agreement with the US is an important and significant component for Israel, and proves once again the depth of the relationship between the two countries and the United States' commitment to Israel's security, and to preserving its qualitative advantage over other countries in the Middle East," Mr Olmert said. While he is in Israel, Mr Burns is also meeting Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, Defence Minister Ehud Barak and other Israeli officials for "discussions on regional security, including the challenge posed by Iran".

The Bush administration said last month that it was offering weapons aid to other countries in the region, including $20bn for Saudi Arabia, $13bn for Egypt and $20bn to be shared between Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and the United Arab Emirates.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6948981.stm

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Good to now your taxes are at work funding war and feeding the US arms industry? ... but people in the USA are gonna get raptured soon so I gues it doesnt matter right...

[Dagwolf]

Too bad they don't have tha tkind of money to put into basic health care.

[woj]

It's really not THAT bad, it sounds like a huge number but really they will just use that money to buy overpriced US military technology...

"The money must be used to purchase military equipment from the US defence industry"

[Rochard]

Doesn't the United States send Israel more aid on a yearly basis than all other countries combined?

[GreyWolf]

Wonder if they have a copywriter compose official statements to get the correct "aura"?

Don't you just love terms like "Investment for peace" being wrapped up in an another "aid package" to supply still more weaponary?

OK.. Let's cut the crap The US has screwed around and used and abused Iran for decades. It did not work the way it was planned, but backfired.

The invasion of Iraq to establish a base never worked either and the current US "foreign policy" is ally with groups within Iraq, who were "terrorists" last year, in the hope of cooperation and this has temporarily worked to a degree. But, a number of Iraqi's have traditional ethnic ties with Iran and no warfare will ever change that. So.. Iran has more influence in Iraq that anyone else and is, or will, supply more construction materials to Iraq than any occupying forces.

So, the US sees weaknesses and knows Iraq is not a viable long term "ally" (read an ally which can be used for predatory reasons). The reaction is send the ineffective Bitch from Hell (otherwise known as Condi), around the Middle East to try and offload tons of weaponary (sorry "aid") to other Arab nations and Israel as an "investment for peace" - to create more "allies" who can be used/abused. Unfortunately Arab nations are not exactly scrambling to take up these kind offers of "investments for peace".

You are 100% correct woj in that this is also an effort to sell weapons to support the US economy. Apart from wheat, the weapons industry is the only other to have a positive trade balance.

By far, the biggest disruptive "agent" in the Middle East in the last.. almost 40 years, has been US interference - not al Queda or any other party. The current trend to cause division between other Arab states and Iran is doomed to failure - it's simply the bully schoolgirl telling all the others not to speak to her victim. Very naive.

How long will this allegedly westen civilized country continue to be a blot on the international landscape and consistantly manage to achieve so much ill-will in the Middle East and drive any credibility it had with all other nations into the ground?? How long will it take for a realisation to hit the braincell that it cannot live on this planet simply by leeching from other nations?? How long will it be till it addresses it's own domestic problems and actually becomes of use to it's own citizens??

Meanwhile, the rest of the world is progressing economically, especially in Asia and China, and developing the largest economic powerhouse the world has ever seen - and while all other western countries have, in comparison, a very healthy economy which actually has a benefit for people.

There is something kinda sad about this......

[zand_stein]

big money huh.........
war is a dirty business.............

[Shakula]

Originally Posted by Rochard

Doesn't the United States send Israel more aid on a yearly basis than all other countries combined?

Yes...... This is just army aid.

[buzzy]

hopefully iran will blow the fuck out of israel, then america after

[haig]

israel is the boss of usa

[buzzy]

israel is in the whitehouse

[QuaWee]

Must be expensive killing civilains

[jonesonyou]

Originally Posted by Dagwolf

Too bad they don't have tha tkind of money to put into basic health care.

Or Border control .

[DaddyHalbucks]

After 9/11 I started to have alot more sympathy for Israel.

[CurrentlySober]

i like poo

[VeriSexy]

they will bite the hands that feed them

[buzzy]

Originally Posted by DaddyHalbucks

After 9/11 I started to have alot more sympathy for Israel.

why?

charlimit