Netanyahu: 'Historic' US-Israel Military Aid Deal Shows 'Great Friendship'
The United States and Israel formally signed the new $38 billion 10-year "memorandum of understanding" (MOU), in what the State Department called the "single largest pledge of bilateral military assistance in U.S. history", at the U.S. State Department on Wednesday. As National Security Advisor Susan Rice said prior to today's signing, 'Our security is linked; when Israel is more secure, America is more secure'.
According to the contract, the Jewish state no longer spend the money internally, but only on American industries, which means though the United States is helping Israel to bolster its military, the money handed out can not be used on products made in the country.
"This is a sign of our unshakable, ongoing commitment to Israel's security", State Department spokesman Mark Toner said about the deal that is the culmination of months of negotiations and is the largest-ever military agreement the USA has ever had with another country.
The $38-billion deal come into effect after the current $30 billion MoU signed in 2007 expires in 2018 and will cover United States fiscal years 2019 to 2028.
Ilan Goldenberg, director of the Middle East Security Program at the Center for a New American Security, said the deal will allow Israel to plan for expensive new weapons, such as the V-22 Osprey, a tilt-rotor aircraft that can deliver commandos and equipment to battlefields faster and much farther away than helicopters.
They disclosed that the package included Israel's promise not to seek additional funds from Congress beyond what would be guaranteed annually in the new package.
Obama said the 10-year, $38 billion agreement - the most generous of its kind ever - would "make a significant contribution to Israel's security in what remains a unsafe neighborhood".
It was noted that an MOU is not a formal treaty, and is not binding on Congress, which was not party to the negotiations and was not privy to details of the agreement.
It will also enable Israel to substantially enhance the mobility of its ground forces, she added. "This agreement demonstrates the simple truth that the relationship between Israel and the United States is strong and powerful".
In a statement on Tuesday, AIPAC commended President Obama and his administration "for forging this landmark agreement".
Acknowledging the unrelieved tensions between Yerushalayim and Washington, Netanyahu said they "had no effect whatsoever on the great friendship between Israel and the U.S".
In this September 11, 2016 file-pool photo, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gestures as he opens the weekly cabinet meeting at his Jerusalem office. "We believe that using that type of terminology is inappropriate and unhelpful", she said. "I applaud the Obama Administration and the Netanyahu Government for reaching this landmark deal, and I look forward to working with my congressional colleagues to continue to strengthen the U.S. -Israel relationship".
Obama said in a statement that the 38 billion dollar Israel aid package was to help ensure security. Mr Netanyahu requested a significant increase to $4.5 billion per year on account of the Iran nuclear agreement, but was forced to settle for $3.8 billion.
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