The United States will give $38 billion to Israel for military spending over 10 years, according to a renewed defence aid deal signed between the two nations on Wednesday, The New York Times reported. The Barack Obama administration will start doling out the money from 2019, after the existing contract expires in 2018.
Right now, the US provides $3.1 billion to the Israel military every year. Obama said, "This commitment to Israel’s security has been unwavering and is based on a genuine and abiding concern for the welfare of the Israeli people and the future of the state of Israel." US security advisor Susan Rice, who was present at the singing of the memorandum of understanding at the State Department in Washington DC, said the country has "unshakable commitment" to Israel's security.
Rice's Israeli counterpart, Jacob Nagel, said, "Israel has no better friend, no more reliable strategic ally, no more important partner than the United States of America. Everyone can see and feel the special relationship between our countries and our people."
According to the contract, the Jewish state no longer spend the money internally, but only on American industries, which means though the United States is helping Israel to bolster its military, the money handed out cannot be used on products made in the country. It has to be used to buy or procure equipment and machinery made by an American company. This clause has been a bone of contention between the nations, however, the US managed to have its way after nine months of negotiation. Among other restrictions, the deal also stops Israel from spending a fraction of the fund on fuel for its military, reported AP.
After sealing the deal, the outgoing American president, who has had his differences with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the past over Iran nuclear deal, stressed on the importance of finding a peaceful solution to the problem the state is embroiled in with Palestine. "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," Obama said. He said the only way for Israel to endure and thrive as a Jewish and democratic state is through the realisation of an independent and viable Palestine.
There has been strong speculation that Obama might lay down terms of a peaceful resolution between Israel and Palestine with the involvement of United Nations Security Council after the US presidential elections in NOvember 2016. The American President's statement following the deal may only stoke the fire further.
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