US Mulls Upping Military Aid To Israel

[Purveyor]

Source: GLOBES

The US administration seeks to soften Israeli objections to arms deals with Arab countries.

Ran Dagoni, Washington 17 Apr 07 18:16

The US is considering whether to increase military aid to Israel as compensation for a US arms deal with Saudi Arabia, US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates told correspondents in Jordan yesterday. Jordan was the first stop of a Middle East tour.

---EOE---

Read more: http://www.globes.co.il/serveen/globes/docview.asp?did=1000202856&fid=942

[PuraVidaDreamin]

1. We have X-tra $$$$ to spare?

What a joke

[UndertheOcean]

2. Apparantly Yes.n/t

[calimary]

20. Hey, I know where we can get 100-thousand bucks a minute...

Why not stop the war, get ourselves OUT of Iraq, and then give some of the money we then won't spend on OUR involvement over there to Israel? They're in the middle of it, and they have plenty of justification they can hang this on. Let THEM handle it.

[tabasco]

3. 20 teachers just got fired in my county for lack of funds.

America is going downhill so fast with the war profiteers in the driver's seat.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

4. Who is US?

funding would have to be approved by a Democrat dominated Congress? It can't be coming out of the Penty's budget?

[IndianaGreen]

5. Israel as the crack addict, with the US as the dope dealer!

Intervention, anyone?

[saigon68]

14. How much in total goes there?

How much money?

[acmavm]

6. Why? Is there a deficit in Israel's war fund? Do they need to go shopping

for some more weapons? Oh yeah, I forgot. We donate a lot of those armaments to Israel, don't we?

They must need to pay the movers when they take over the West Bank and Gaza. That's it. They're running short of cash and need more funds for wall building and movers.

[IndianaGreen]

7. Israel needs more cluster bombs to turn civilians into hamburger

years after the bombing is over.

Shame on them. Shame on us. Shame on both of us.

[ShockediSay]

8. And more welfare money, esp for the religious

scholars. How many of Israel are on welfare?

http://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&channel=s&hl=en&q=Israel%2Bwelfare&btnG=Google+Search

[Canuckistanian]

17. Israel should be taxing it's people - heavily

If they REALLY need a huge defense budget, they should be asking their own own citizens to fund it.

[lonestarnot]

9. Budget cuts all around so we can arm the world.

[Sherman A1]

10. This is just charming

Let us peddle more of our military-industrial complex wares around.. because death is good business....

:argh:

[formercia]

11. We sell to Arab countries to offset what we sell to Israel

Arming both sides is the name of the game. The boys have been doing it for centuries.

STOP IT!!!!

[The Stranger]

13. No, actually that is not correct, as the aid to Israel dwarfs that of all others.

Saudi Arabia is likely looking towards Iran and seeking arms, but apparently the U.S. has to pay Israel in order to cut a deal with the Saudis.

[formercia]

18. You forgot the Egyptian/Israeli mutual self-destruction pact

we replaced the Soviets as arms dealer for Egypt and we get to sell to both sides.

[Warren Stupidity]

12. The treasury isn't completely empty.

There is work to be done.

[angstlessk]

15. This is simply a transfer of wealth from the middle class tax payer

to the uber rich military industrial complex, so more daddys of poor little rich girls can have hundreds of thousands of dollar parties for their 'sweet' 16 birthdays!

[HuffleClaw]

16. " as compensation for a US arms deal with Saudi Arabia" ???!!!

what bullshit is that?

[Scurrilous]

19. Gates Tries to Ease Israeli Concerns

<snip>

"Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Thursday tried to ease Israeli concerns about a planned American weapons sale to Gulf Arab allies, saying the U.S. remains committed to preserving Israel's military edge over its neighbors.

Gates also said his 24-hour trip to Israel did not include any discussions on taking military action against Iran. He reiterated his belief that diplomacy is the best course of action for halting Iran's nuclear program.

Israeli officials have objected to U.S. plans to sell arms to Saudi Arabia and other moderate Gulf states, fearing it would damage Israel's deterrent capabilities in the Middle East. The New York Times reported earlier this month that Washington has delayed the arms sale package because of the Israeli objections.

Speaking to reporters in Tel Aviv before his departure, Gates said he had urged Israeli leaders to look at the deal in terms of the ``overall strategic environment'' and stressed that Israel's neighbors have other alternatives for purchasing arms.

``I'm confident that the Russians would be very happy to sell weapons to countries in the region,'' he said. Gates said he affirmed the U.S. will continue to help Israel maintain its qualitative military edge, but did not say whether the Saudi deal would go through."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6570506,00.html