I think this can be seen as a gesture of a solidarity with the Israel lobby in the United States, because the Democratic administration and the Republican administration basically when it comes to military aid to Israel it’s usually the same old song over and over again.
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It will make “a significant contribution to Israel’s security in what remains a risky neighborhood”, Obama said.
“This marks a significant increase over our existing funding, and it will ensure that Israel has the support it needs to defend itself by itself and to preserve its qualitative military edge”.
Obama called the agreement “the most recent reflection of my steadfast commitment to the security of the state of Israel”. The Israeli leader was among the most vocal critics of the deal.
Obama said he would press for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, noting “the deeply troubling trends on the ground that undermine this goal”.
Israel considers the nuclear deal with Iran as inimical to its interests and has caused friction between Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Barack Obama and the $38-billion arms deal is meant to placate Tel Aviv with assurance of boosted defences.
The MOU provides for $38 billion in USA military aid to Israel over a decade, starting in 2019.
Israel’s acting national security advisor Jacob Nagel and US Under Secretary of State Tom Shannon signed the deal at the State Department, bringing to an end months of wrangling over the details of the package.
The deal will help Israel with the building-up of its armed forces and improvement of it anti-missile defense systems, Netanyahu added.
In a statement on Tuesday, AIPAC commended President Obama and his administration “for forging this landmark agreement”.
The Prime Minister acknowledged in his statement that while Israel and the U.S. have had disagreements, they will not affect the two countries’ friendship.
She said the prolonged negotiations over the military aid package had been a product of separate disagreements over how much funding Israel needed and how the money should be used.
Israel, Nagel said, has committed itself not to ask Congress for additional funds for missile defense. Israel’s preference for spending some internally had been a major sticking point in the deal.
However, he noted, the United States will allow Israel to ask for additional aid in the event of a war.
A Tamir missile fired from an Iron Dome missile defense battery during a trial in the United States in April, 2016. And Israel also can’t spend the money on fuel for its military, either.
The package exceeds the average level of non-emergency support the USA provided to Israel for missile defense over the last five years, according to the White House. However, the final figure was set without that provision.
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“Congress is not a party to this agreement nor is this agreement binding on future Congresses”, Graham said in a statement.
