US Promises Israel 'Largest Military Aid Package in U.S. History'

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Susan Rice, the U.S. National Security Adviser, has promised Israel that the new military aid agreement between the two nations will constitute “the single largest military assistance package,with any country, in American history.”

The aid package is expected to be between $37.5 and $40 billion over the next ten years, which Rice said proved that increasing aid to Israel isn’t a partisan issue in the US, but “an enduring American interest.”

Haaretz reports:

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Addressing the American Jewish Committee Global Forum in Washington, Rice said the new decade-long aid package, which is expected to provide Israel somewhere between $37.5 billion and $40 billion over the life of the pact, will “constitute a significant increase in support,” providing funding to update Israel’s aircraft fleet and strengthen missile defenses.

Hinting at the polarized views on Israeli policy among the U.S. presidential candidates, Rice said that “Israel’s security isn’t a Democratic interest or a Republican interest—it’s an enduring American interest.” At the same time, Rice lashed out at Israel’s settlement activity, saying that the only road to “sustainable security for Israel and to dignity and self-determination for the Palestinians is two states for two peoples.”

“Just as we oppose counterproductive Palestinian actions and strongly condemn incitement and violence, settlement activity corrodes the prospects for two states,” she said. “It moves Israel toward a one-state reality.”