Barak: Israel may seek additional $20b. in US defense aid

[HotChuven]

The US gives Israel 3bn/year foreign aid and israel is not seeking an additional 20bn/year for defense from the US.

What do you think of this misc? States everywhere are slashing budgets and laying off employees but still giving large sums of money to countries like Israel.

Also you think it is fishy that there isn't that much media coverage on this?

With or without a peace agreement with the Palestinians, Israel will have to significantly increase its defense spending in the next budget, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has said in private meetings over the last few days.

According to Netanyahu, this increase is necessary to provide an answer to the increasing threats facing the country, including tens of thousands of missiles aimed at Israel.


A peace agreement would also require increased spending for security, something he said would likely necessitate financial assistance from the West to provide Israel with the security apparatus needed to compensate for the agreement.

One possible source of funding for the defense increase will be the profits the country stands to gain from the recent natural gas finds, he has said.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak, meanwhile, was quoted in a Wall Street Journal interview Tuesday as saying that Israel would need to boost military spending and may seek an additional $20 billion in US security aid to deal with the threats arising from the upheaval in the region.

“The issue of qualitative military aid for Israel becomes more essential for us, and I believe also more essential for you,” Barak was quoted as saying.

“It might be wise to invest another $20 billion to upgrade the security of Israel for the next generation or so... A strong, responsible Israel can become a stabilizer in such a turbulent region.”

Aides to Barak, however, downplayed the comment, saying he was merely offering a suggestion about how recent popular uprisings in the Middle East might require Israel to reexamine its military needs.

If Israel were to make such a request, it would be evaluated in keeping with American’s commitment to maintaining Israel’s regional supremacy, a State Department official said.

“Each and every security assistance request from the Israeli government is evaluated in light of our policy to uphold Israel’s qualitative military edge,” the official said.

The official stressed that the Obama administration has “not only honored and re-energized America’s enduring commitment to Israel’s security, but... taken action to expand it to an unprecedented level.”

The official pointed to an increase in security assistance, security consultations and support for Israel’s new Iron Dome missile defense system.

Israel receives $3b. in US aid per year, of which the overwhelming majority is earmarked for military use to help Israel maintain its qualitative military edge.

The Wall Street Journal quoted defense analysts as saying Israel spends some $17b. a year – including the $3b. from the US – on defense, a sum that is roughly 9 percent of the country’s gross national product.

In December, the US House agreed to add $205 million in funding to Israel to help pay for the Iron Dome project, a shortrange rocket defense system.

http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?id=211362

[ZenBowman]

Solution: End military aid to all nations

[Cynic09]

You guys are practically their dogs.

Don't shoot the messenger.

[Devious83]

getting straight jacked up.

[PaulG]

Ports man... probably saves us money in the long run.

[WheytWut92]

i wonder if this is because the US has a zionist occupied government hmmmmmm

[HotChuven]

i wonder if this is because the US has a zionist occupied government hmmmmmm

And media...

Good luck finding much on this on an American media outlet.

Al Jezeera is a good source.

[gentao]

it doesnt matter what we think. the government does what it wants.

[OmniscientCause]

we wouldnt be doing it if it didnt benefit us some how trust me

[Gator Brah]

let the mother fukers burn

[Cynic09]

And media...

Good luck finding much on this on an American media outlet.

Al Jezeera is a good source.

Bravo, someone who's not an idiot.

In case most don't know, Rahm Emanuel (Chief of Staff for Obama) is jewish and his father was a was a member of the Irgun, a Zionist terrorist group.

Back then I used to wonder why you guys blindly support Isreal and ignores all the stuff they do. It makes a lot of sense now. Tentacles all up in your government.

we wouldnt be doing it if it didnt benefit us some how trust me

Keep telling yourself that. US is owned by Isreal. Look who's in charge of media, government etc. There's a lot of em.

[Clesueur]

american hegemony is predicated off of power projection and international use of hardpower. israel, along with aircraft carriers, is the most effective mechanism of power projection in the middle east.

whether blue collar workers get pensions or not does not promote american influence internationally. it is also barely relevant to our economy considering that america is a post-industrial nation. it does provide a heartfelt story to keep the semi-retarded population feeling like they have some political opinion of substance while real events such as these go unnoticed. it allows people of real power to act in meaningful ways without being subjected to the scrutiny of the mentally handicapped public.

[NJlifter88]

no i don't think we should be giving them additional defense aid (or any). but i can see why they want it with all the unrest in arab countries. they worried they gonna have to up their level of aggression.

[Dr._S._Colbert]

And media...

Good luck finding much on this on an American media outlet.

Al Jezeera is a good source.

Yes, I'm sure renowned Jew Rupert Murdoch is in Temple right now praying no one finds out.

[Liangtastic]

Tentacles all up in our government cuz.

[moveouttamyway]

borrow more money from china to fund Israel? Sounds like a plan

[NoodleArms]

strong antisemitism in the misc

[Ravishing_Rick]

im shocked

notsrs

[caonima]

who cares if that money comes from china lulz.

[whyumadson]

Let them burn.

[bn7]

I wish I could be outraged but our government pisses away billions of dollars like it ain't no thang.

Cut school budgets & social budgets ----> So we can pay billion upon billions of dollars in "defense aid' to other countries.

Democrats & Republicans pls go

[HotChuven]

Why is Israel aid exempt?

But US aid to Israel is. In fact, the $3bn Israel aid package is the new third rail of American politics: touch it and die. It is also the one program that liberals, conservatives, Democrats, Republicans and tea partiers all agree should not sustain even a dollar in cuts.

http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth...850632729.html

[BEATINGUU]

You guys are all ignorant!

I watch Al Jeezera so I'm smarter than you all!

(not srs)


By the way we haven't given them anymore money so please stop speculating...They haven't even officially asked for anything else, so please chill the fk out.

[Cynic09]

strong antisemitism in the misc

lol! I knew someone would throw this in. Haha. I guess anything bad or negative about isreal is Anti-semitics.

Good one. Are you going to use the Holocaust card too?

[WheytWut92]

it doesnt matter what we think. the government does what it wants.

holy chit, strong mind control

[SwayWay]

hmmm lets go deeper into debt and phuck up our own economy more to fund a israels wars in which a single phuck is not given

[Saukrates]

Defense aid?

It's sad that some people would actually believe that the US is giving foreign aid to Israel as opposed to them buying a foothold in the middle east while supporting war crimes against Palestine.


brb:

[Gator Brah]

lol! I knew someone would throw this in. Haha. I guess anything bad or negative about isreal is Anti-semitics.

Good one. Are you going to use the Holocaust card too?

yes, also if you dont think obama is doing a good job its cause your racist

[moveouttamyway]

strong antisemitism in the misc

strong Zionism

[FIREnICE]

disgusting. that's all i can say.