“It’s a reminder of the United States’ unshakable commitment to Israel’s security”, said U.S. National Security Adviser Susan Rice.
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According to chief negotiator Yaakov Nagel, Israel’s acting National Security Adviser Yaakov Nagel, Israel will receive 3,1 billion USA dollars’ worth of foreign military financing next fiscal year, followed by 3,3 billion US dollars in the next years, plus $500 million US dollars a year dedicated to improving Israel’s missile defense system.
We are in full favor of the enhanced aid package, created to keep Israel with the “qualitative military edge” in the region, as Washington has previously promised.
“This commitment to Israel’s security has been unwavering and is based on a genuine and abiding concern for the welfare of the Israeli people and the future of the State of Israel”, Obama further said.
The defense agreement, worth $38 billion over 10 years, is the largest such pledge in American history, hailed by both countries as a cornerstone of their alliance.
During the meeting on developments in the Middle East, Ban Ki-moon added the “Two-State solution for the Israelis and Palestinians is at risk of being replaced by a One-State reality of perpetual violence and occupation”.
As for Gaza, he said that while there has been progress in the two years since the 2014 cease-fire with Israel, “Gaza remains under closures and is a ticking time bomb”.
President Barack Obama’s eight years in office have been marked by friction with Netanyahu, with the two leaders at odds over a US-led nuclear deal with Iran and over mired peace talks with Palestinians.
The agreement also eliminates Israel’s ability to spend a fraction of the funds on fuel for its military.
The aid package falls short of Congress’ plan to give Israel $3.4 billion, plus $600 million for missile defense starting in 2017.
The Israeli Premier had called for an increase in part because of the nuclear deal with Israel’s arch-foe Iran and the lifting of sanctions that went with it.
The new US-Israel MOU on security assistance will be effective for fiscal years 2019 through 2028, according to the US State Department.
Significantly, Israel will spend increasing amounts of the military assistance in the US, beginning at the current rate of about 75 percent of the aid and rising to a full 100 percent by the conclusion of the MOU.
And, while Israel will now be able to buy more of the latest F-35 fighter jets and CV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor planes from American firms, it has lost a key source of support for its thriving defense industry.
The package consists of $33 billion in foreign military financing funds and $5 million earmarked for missile defense.
They noted that the new deal would phase out a special arrangement that had allowed Israel to spend part of its USA aid on its own defence industry instead of on American-made weapons.
The aid package was the product of months of delicate negotiations between the US and Israel, and included stipulations that rankled some USA lawmakers.
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The negotiations lasted more than 10 months and the 10-year military partnership will come into force in 2018. They have not disclosed the exact sum, but officials familiar with the deal said it totals $3.8bn a year.
