Israel serves interests of American Empire in Mideast: Analyst

Israel is empowered and armed by the United States because it serves the interests of the American Empire in the Middle East, according to Richard Becker, a political analyst and activist based in California.

Becker, a member of the ANSWER Coalition, a protest umbrella group consisting of many antiwar and civil rights organizations, made the remarks in an interview with Press TV on Sunday while commenting on the recent US announcement of selling more high-tech weaponry to Israel.

The United States on Friday approved a proposal to sell Israel more weapons, including naval guns and technical support worth an estimated $440 million.

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency said that the State Department agreed to allow the possible sale of 13 76mm naval guns to Tel Aviv. The Pentagon agency said it had notified the Congress about the State Department’s decision

Becker said, “The US aid to Israel has made Israel the dominant military power, and the only nuclear weapons power in the Middle East.”

“And despite the hundreds of billions of dollars that have been sent to Israel over the years, particularly over 50 years, and all of the high-tech weaponry that Israel has acquired from the United States, the United States continues to build up Israel even more,” he noted.

“I think it’s important to know that Israel really serves the interests of the US Empire, and that’s why it receives this kind of massive aid, more than any other country in the world,” he stated.

The analyst said Israel is oppressing Palestinians and attacking Syria and Lebanon as well as threatening to attack Iran because “those forces are seen in Washington as enemies of the United States.”

“Israel is empowered, armed to use force against those countries,” the activist concluded.

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In September last year, the US signed a deal to provide Israel with $38 billion in military assistance over the next decade.

Under the deal, Israel will be allowed to upgrade most of its fighter aircraft, improve its ground forces' mobility and strengthen its missile systems.

Washington has also been providing Israeli with $3.1 billion annually since a 2007 agreement with the former president George W. Bush's administration.

Despite the US new administration’s deep budget cuts in foreign aid, Israel would likely remain to enjoy the military aid with President Donald Trump in power.

State Department spokesman Mark Toner said last month that Washington’s aid to Israel, which totaled about $3.1 billion this year, would not be touched under the Trump plan. Israel gets more US aid than any other country in the world.

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