US aid to Israel to continue despite crisis

[Scurrilous]

American administration asks Congress to approve security aid to Jewish state as part of 2010 budget. 'This is an expression of the ongoing US commitment to Israel's security,' says outgoing Ambassador Meridor

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3713261,00.html

<snip>

"Despite the deep financial crisis in the United States, Washington has no plans to halt its foreign aid. The American administration recently asked the Congress to approve the full security aid to Israel, which stands at $2.775 billion, as part of the 2010 budget plan.

Outgoing Israeli Ambassador to Washington Salai Meridor expressed his appreciation Saturday night following the US administration's decision to include the full security aid in the budget plan.

"This move is an implementation of part of the memorandum of understanding for 10 years, which was signed between the two countries, and an expression of the ongoing American commitment to Israel's security and to guaranteeing its exceptional advantage," he said.

Despite the economic crisis, the Obama administration has no plans to renege on the Bush administration's commitment to provide Israel with aid for 10 years – starting in 2009.

As part of the aid, this year Israel will receive $2.5 billion, in 2010 - $2.775 billion, and in 2011 the sum will reach $3 billion. In total, the security aid Jerusalem is slated to receive from Washington stands at some $30 billion until 2019."

[davidinalameda]

1. and?

you don't want us to honor our foreign aid commitments or just those to Israel?

[Hardrada]

2. I think we can pick and choose, old chap.

[Jim Sagle]

3. Looks as if we did.

:beer:

[Hardrada]

6. Everyone makes mistakes.

'Tis pity 'tis true.

[Jim Sagle]

10. Even you make mistakes.

[Sezu]

11. Yeah and it just might be a good idea to pick and choose

people who DON'T go around chanting death to America on a regular basis.

[Chulanowa]

4. I'm just curious, really...

But where exactly does this money go? I know that in the grand scheme of things, that six billion isn't a whole lot... But hey, we're here demanding our banks give us a full receipt of what they do with our money. Do we get that from Israel - or for that matter, any of the countries we have this sort of thing going on for?

I mean they call it "security aid"... Are they cashing these checks into quarters and then using the rolls as body armor or what? :D

Seriously though, Israel gets the money, where does that money then go? Does it just get funneled back into the US military industry? Does it cycle back through Israel's lobby groups in the form of "gifts" to our Representatives? Does it stay and circle around in Israel? How much is used for "security", and how much is lost to Graft, or gets diverted into other projects like Israel's health care and infrastructural systems?

I'd like to know what my "charity" is going into. I mean shit, I already know what it's doing for the Saudis, and I can't say I enjoy that one damn bit...

[Hardrada]

7. Good questions all!

I hope we can get some answers.

[azurnoir]

5. The security aid is more like a gift certificate

most of it is ear marked comes back into US coffers in the form of arms purchases, Obama at this point in time as the new kid in town is wise to keep this deal going as to the future, we will see

[safeinOhio]

8. Their God chose them

Let their God support them. My God bring spaghetti to all peoples.

[Shaktimaan]

12. I love comments like these.

They manage to demonstrate a casual willingness to view the conflict in religious terms while simultaneously dismissing and disparaging those same religious beliefs, yet somehow also managing to display a comprehensive lack of understanding of both of them. All packed into two short sentences.

Bravo! This post is all at once succinct, retarded, offensive, misinformed and apathetic. In a thread about Israel you posted about Jews. You displayed both an indifference to Judaism as well as ignorance, but also found this to be an appropriate forum for making derogatory comments about it.

Dude, we get it... your God is a snarky internet meme. Everyone is very impressed by your public identification with someone else's critique of organized religion. But speaking personally, I'd be more impressed by a post that contributed something relevant or insightful to the thread. Or at least wasn't demonstrative of such apathy and ignorance. It's depressing reading such things.

[cali]

13. could we please keep the dumb prejudice off of DU?

that's no more accurate than someone saying "Let Allah support them. Allah chose them".

[varelse]

9. After reading some history

I don't find this in the least surprising.