|
|
#1
09-16-2016, 05:01 PM
|
|||
|
|||
US arms pact for Israel shows*enduring ties trump recent tension
WASHINGTON: The United States and Israel put aside the antagonism between their leaders and reaffirmed their strategic bond on Wednesday, when Washington promised its ally an unprecedented $38 billion military aid package.
As Israel’s national security advisor and a senior US diplomat signed the 10-year deal there was ** sign of the distrust that has soured relations between President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In recent weeks Washington has toughened its criticism of Israel’s accelerated building of settlements on occupied land in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, warning that it could destroy hopes for peace with the Palestinians. And Israel has made ** secret of its fierce opposition to Obama’s signature diplomatic initiative, the outreach to Iran which last year led to a deal to restrain Tehran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. Beyond that, Netanyahu and Obama have often rubbed each other up the wrong way and, while the Israeli leader has been accused at home of putting the alliance at risk, the president’s domestic foes accuse him of snubbing his ally. But the US-Israeli alliance pre-dates both men and the new 10-year deal will cover the terms of the next president too. The White House insists that the relationship is unbreakable and at the core of US regional strategy. “For as long as the state of Israel has existed, the United States has been Israel’s greatest friend and partner, a fact underscored again today,” Obama declared, in a statement released to mark the signing. But he continued pointedly. “It is because of this same commitment to Israel and its long-term security that we will also continue to press for a two-state solution to the longstanding Israeli-Palestinian conflict, despite the deeply troubling trends on the ground that undermine this goal,” he said. “As I have emphasized previously, the only way for Israel to endure and thrive as a Jewish and democratic state is through the realization of an independent and viable Palestine.” The deal covers the period from 2019 to 2028 and will see Israel receive $3.3 billion per year in foreign military financing -- up from $3.1 billion per year currently -- and $500,000 per year in funding for missile defence. Even before this record package, Israel was already the biggest single recipient of US military aid from the State Department’s foreign military financing budget, receiving itself more than half of the funds. But the warm words at the ceremony and the historic nature of the sum could **t fully paper over the tough negotiations that got the parties there -- and Israel did **t get everything it wanted. أكثر... ??????? ??????: US arms pact for Israel shows*enduring ties trump recent tension || ??????: ahlam1399 || ??????: اسم منتداك
|
|
|
العرض الشجري