Obama, Netanyahu agree on increased US military aid: Report
US President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have reportedly agreed on an increase in American military aid to Israel.
Obama and Netanyahu met for the first time in a year at the White House on Monday, and spent much of their time discussing ways to expand US military assistance to Israel.
A tentative agreement was reached during the closed-door meeting, Israel’s Channel 2 reported.
The relationship between the two leaders has been characterized by mistrust and resentment, aggravated since the passage of the Iran nuclear agreement—which Netanyahu has strongly opposed.
Before leaving for Washington, Netanyahu said he hoped to lay the groundwork for a new 10-year military aid package to Israel.
“I believe that this meeting is important in order to clarify the continuation of American aid to Israel in the coming decade,” Netanyahu said.
Obama said there was no question that the United States will renew the agreement.
“It will be expiring in a couple of years but we want to get a head start on that to make sure that both the US and Israel can plan effectively for our defense needs going forward,” he said.
US and Israeli officials are discussing Tel Aviv’s request of an increase in the overall size of the current aid package from $3 billion to around $4.5 billion a year.
The existing deal was negotiated during the George W. Bush administration.
The aid package is separate from the annual US funding of nearly $500 million which is spent on Israel’s missile programs in recent years. It is also on top of US warfare equipment held in Israel, valued at $1.2 billion.
US military assistance to Israel has amounted to $124.3 billion since it began in 1962, according to a recent congressional report.
Obama said Monday it was “no secret” that he and Netanyahu have had “a strong disagreement” over the nuclear agreement with Iran. However, the president tried to downplay the fact that the issue has impacted broader ties between the US and Israel.
“We have closer military and intelligence cooperation than any two administrations in history,” Obama added. “The military assistance that we provide we consider not only an important part of our obligation to the state of Israel, but also an important part of US security infrastructure in the region.”
How US abuses its UN veto power to enable Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza
US senator threatens ICC with military action over Netanyahu sentence
Russia launches 'ICBM' for first time against Ukraine: Kiev
VIDEO | Tens of thousands of Catalans protest to demand access to better housing
Israel launches air strikes on Syria-Lebanon border crossing
Russia: Comprehensive deal with Iran will include defense, security ties
VIDEO | Israeli embassy shooting in Jordan leaves gunman dead, 3 police injured
VIDEO | Paris march in support of Palestine women
VIDEO | ICC issues arrest warrants for Israeli prime minister, ousted regime war minister
120 Palestinians perish as Israeli war machine keeps ravaging Gaza
VIDEO | Struggles of Palestinian women amidst war, displacement
PressTV NEWSLETTER
now
This makes it easy to access the Press TV website
