Ya'alon and Defense Secretary Carter in Israel in July (Photo: AFP)
Reuters: Exclusive: Differences over missile defense, fine print snag U.S.-Israel aid deal
Negotiations meant to enshrine U.S. defense aid for Israel over the next decade have snagged on disputes about the size, scope and fine print of a new multibillion-dollar package, officials say.
Five months into the talks, several U.S. and Israeli officials disclosed details about the disputes to Reuters on condition of anonymity. The U.S. and Israeli governments said negotiations were continuing, declining to elaborate.
Israel is seeking up to $10 billion more than the current 10-year package and billions more than the U.S. administration is offering, partly by asking for guaranteed funding for missile defense projects hitherto funded on an ad hoc basis by the U.S. Congress, the officials said.
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WNU Editor: Not many details have been released, but I suspect that since this is a U.S. election year, the Israeli government is playing handball to wring concessions from the White House so that the Democrats would not alienate their Jewish base. But while this may have worked in the past .... the Jewish base is not that important to the Democrat Party any-more .... and certainly not to a President who will not be running for any other office after his term has ended.
6 comments:
Actually, the Jewish base is still very important to the Democratic Party, but the average Jewish voter in the US doesn't support AIPAC, Bibi, or the current and past policies of the State of Israel.
http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/american-jews-reject-the-israel-lobby-and-support-the-iran-deal/
So the US has to negotiate giving Israel free money and military hardware? How is this a thing?
It's been a thing for decades.
Guess that should change. How about the US gives free stuff and Israel just says thank you. Maybe Bibi would be a bit more respectful of the US if we stop negotiating what we give them for nothing. They might actually listen to the US if we turned the gravy train off. Again, how is this still a thing.
It's a "thing" because AIPAC, which acts as an "Agent of a Foreign Government", is exempted by special legislation from registering or being subject to the "Agent of a Foreign Nation Laws".
As a result, they get to act as a PAC and Special Interest Group in US Elections, and while they can't get a Senator or Representative Elected, in a large majority of the Electoral ridings in the US, by swinging their support to a Primary Challenger or an Opponent, they can get a Senator or Representative unelected.
As a result, when AIPAC say's "jump", all but a tiny handfull of Senators and Representatives "jump".
Google Sheldon Addelson.
I understand the politics, it just seems like something that needs to change.
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