While the “Israel Factor” ranks US State Secretaries – what is with these parochial Zionists? They really think Henry Kissinger was a wonderful friend of Israel? Shame about those millions of murdered Cambodians and Vietnamese – the Jewish state proves that it’s little more than a convenient client state of the US:
The United States will increase its military assistance to Israel and sign a new agreement securing American aid to the country for the next decade, President George W. Bush announced Tuesday following his meeting with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
Olmert had persuaded Bush to announce the aid increase, senior political sources said Wednesday.
Prior to Olmert’s visit to Washington it was agreed that the issue would be raised during their meeting, but the President gave his response to the Israeli request for increased military assistance only during the meeting with the prime minister.
“The increase of the military assistance is the most important result of Olmert’s visit to the United States,” the political sources said.
This year, Israel will receive $2.4 billion in military aid from the U.S.
The agreement concluded by former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to which the United States’ economic aid package to Israel would be gradually diminished and the military aid would increase, is coming to an end this year.
According to the existing arrangement, most of the grant is meant for procurement from the U.S. industry, and Israel is allowed to spend 26.7 percent of the military assistance in shekel purchases for acquisitions from local defense industries.
Israel asked for a gradual increase in the aid over a 10-year period at the tune of $50 million per year. At the end of the 10 years, Israel will receive $2.9 billion annually in military assistance from the U.S.
Olmert told the president that an announcement on the increase in aid would be an expression of American support for Israel against the growing threats to its existence in the region.
In its announcement, the U.S. reiterated that the increased funds will allow Israel to deal with the new challenges it faces and to ensure a “qualitative military edge.”
A military edge? And Israel still lost against Hizbollah last year, a well-trained militia. Israel can have all the military hardware it so desperately wants, but it’ll make little difference to the ever-worsening position the country finds itself in within the region and the world. Maybe guns, bombs and occupation bought respect and fear years ago. These days, it simply ensures contempt, anti-Semitism and hatred.