83 US Senators have signed a letter today demanding that President Obama quickly reach a new military aid deal with Israel, and one that is worth considerably more than the $3 billion annually that Israel is already receiving. The letter claimed Israel needs more money to “defend itself.”
The demand seems particularly ill-timed, however, as just a week ago Israeli officials confirmed that President Obama had offered a $40 billion proposal to cover the next 10 years, but that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused to accept it because it sought a pledge not to lobby Congress for more money over that 10 year period.
The Obama Administration had also reportedly offered an alternative, $34 billion deal, which would allow Netanyahu to keep lobbying Congress for annual hikes in funding, though Netanyahu was said not to have liked this offer any better.
There is a major split in Israel over the matter, with some in Netanyahu’s government believing that they could get more money by waiting for 2017 and Obama’s successor. Some Israeli officials, however, fear that spurning Obama’s offer risks a deeper divide between Israel’s far-right government and the Democratic Party in the US, particularly if Netanyahu rejects Obama’s deal and takes one from a Republican.
So now they up to 83 senators from 67. Any chance voters will get to their senses and stop electing scum like that?
Pray for America’s decline and destruction.That is the only salvation for America and the world at large from vicious grip of the lobby
Next the senators will be advocating Israel become the 51st state.
I thought it already was
and get stuck with only 2 senators? why would they do that?
If only. No state has a fraction of the power that israel has over the federal government, states, counties, cities.
“Takes one from a Republican”
He would not do so well from Trump. Hillary? Hard to say how generous she’d be. Hawk yes, but generous is not in her nature.
It’s not her money. Like any other politician who has learned to play with OPM (other people’s money) she really doesn’t care how much she gives away…as long as it benefits her agenda.
When pigs can fly.
Way too much money goes to the apartheid state. Even more than my own state.
If by “my own state” you are referring to a US state, well, no. Per capita US aid to Israel comes to somewhere in the range of $500 per Israeli citizen per year. The US state which receives the LOWEST amount of federal funding is Utah, which receives more than $6,000 per citizen per year.
That’s not intended to be a defense of aid to Israel, of course. But US foreign aid in total is a drop in the bucket of federal government expenditures.
You might have a point if Israel’s citizens paid taxes to the US government as do the citizens of US states. What is the per capita return after per capita federal taxes are deducted?
US aid to Israel is just a fraction of total aid sent to Israel from the US, much of which is sent through tax free pro-Israel foundations, which – like donations to AW.C – count as “charitable contributions” and are deductible.
Good point on the calculation of benefit received minus taxes paid.
Of course, I am for 100% deductibility of anything and everything from taxes. Or better yet, ending involuntary taxation altogether (if I think the navy needs a new destroyer, maybe I’ll drop by their bake sale and buy a cookie or two).
And how much does Israel get in the “black” budget?
As far as I know, zero.
Well, maybe. Utah has less than half the population of Israel. 3 million.
Israel is not apartheid.
Apartheid is too gentle a word to describe Israel’s treatment of Palestinians. Apartheid was oppressive, but not genocidal. A better comparison would be to the genocide of the Native Americans by the USA. Or the Nazi regime of the 1930’s
The Palestinian Arab population is not just growing, it’s growing faster than Israel’s population. If that’s “genocide,” Israel isn’t very good at it.
Apartheid, on the other hand, is an absolutely accurate descriptor — one ethnic group restricted to “homelands” designated by the privileged ethnic group, requiring “work permits” to go serve the privileged ethnic group, traveling on segregated buses and even segregated roads for the privileged ethnic group’s protection and comfort, etc.
Sure, there are no piles of corpses yet but genocide by caloric restriction isn’t less of a genocide, and it’s just one of their many methods.
The obesity rate in Gaza is over 60%
https://www.reddit.com/r/Israel/comments/2lam1j/the_obesity_rate_in_gaza_is_over_60_yet_israel_is/
Tom, I compared Israel to 1930’s Germany – pre holocaust. The seeds were already there as they are in Israel today. The more accurate descriptor is the comparison of contemporary Zionism to manifest destiny. USA never explicitly advocated extermination of the Indians. But in retrospect manifest destiny was a policy of genocide.
OK, let’s see:
Hitler took power in 1933. By 1945 90% of Europe’s Jews were dead.
When Israel came into existence in 1948, the Arab population of Palestine was about 1.9 million. Now it’s a little over 6 million.
Is 6 million 90% less than 1.9 million?
If not, your genocide bullshit is, well, bullshit.
Tom,
Could you explain why there is a moderation hold on my last post? Am I in danger of being banned?
Let me go check and see if I can find it. Whatever happened, it was automatic based on pre-sets, not the result of intentional human action. The comment will either be up within a few minutes, or I’ll come back and explain why. Sorry for the inconvenience (I have to sleep sometimes :))
OK, Skywalker, I found SEVERAL comments of yours held in moderation. One was classified as spam for some reason, even though it wasn’t. The others were all in “pending,” which meant they tripped some kind of filter for possible disallowed content, but I don’t know which filter that might have been. They’ve all been approved now.
I still disagree with you when you characterize Israel’s actions as “genocide,” for the same reason that I disagree with those who DON’T want Israel’s policies characterized as “apartheid.”
They’re unduly minimizing Israel’s crimes. You’re unduly maximizing them.
Any time someone claims that Israel’s system is not an apartheid system, one merely need look at the West Bank and Gaza “homelands,” the work permit system, the segregated roads and transport, etc., to know that yes, it is an apartheid system. That makes the denier look silly or dishonest.
Any time someone claims that Israel is committing genocide, one merely need look at the fact that the allegedly “genocided” population is not just growing, but growing faster than the population of the alleged “genocider,” to know that no, it’s not genocide. That makes the genocide claimant look silly or dishonest.
Israel is not genocidal.
Arrested requires a legal authority.
The Zionist army is an army of occupation.
why do they always call this foreign aid . when its usually weapons to kill somebody . We gave Georgia 5 billion in foreign aid , Russia destroyed it all in a week . How did this aid anybody ?
Well, it did aid the weapons manufacturer’s bottom line.
Unless there’s security, nothing else matters.
Israel is alive thanks to us.
We should be proud of ourselves for saving millions of lives.
USA should kick deadbeat Israel to the curb and cut off the welfare check.
There’s a big generational divide in American attitudes to Israel, young people are not half so pro-zionist as older people. Time is not on Israel’s side on this matter.
As the largest foreign influence Lobby, e.g.,Fifth Column, AIPAC is proving that Patrick Buchanan was 100% correct when he said the US Congress is “Israeli Occupied Territory.”
Israel is an enemy of the American people, and cares nothing about America as a whole. Israel has its own money, and should stop begging for American tax payer dollars. Furthermore IF aid cannot go away then stiff parameters like ending the illegal occupation, and the immediate stoppage of kidnapping and detaining “children” without charge indefinitely. Israel is an enemy…period
Are you claiming that the Israeli government kidnaps children for ransom?
Wouldn’t it be hypocritical for us to demand that Israel should stop detaining people without charge when we detain people without charge?
Kidnap children? Yes.
For ransom? No
For human shields? Sometimes.
To terrorize the Palestinian nation? Most definitely.
Is murdering, kidnapping and terrorizing children genocide? Yes. (See the UN Genocide Convention)
Is the US military any better? No.
Is it hypocritical to condemn Israeli genocide? No.
Children were arrested. Not kidnapped.
Arrested requires a legal authority.
The Zionist army is an army of occupation.
So the USA engages in genocide?
There is only one immediate answer to this scandalous behavior: term limits!
Why can’t we have a national referendum on this very important subject?
It’s time to stop this vermin from spending our money on the support and maintenance of an aggresor nation like Israel. Let’s take action now!
I’m proud of my country, the USA, for helping victims of aggression like Israel.
Israel isn’t the victim, Israel is the aggressor.
Palestinians started the violence, so Palestinians are the aggressors.
You just broke my Hasbara Bullshit detector/
Please explain.
The USA’s X band radar in Israel? We don’t share the data with Israel. Why? Because we don’t trust them.
They share their intelligence with us.
For the $5 billion a year we give them, they better
Bernie Sanders and Rand Paul did not sign. The other non signing Republicans were Bob Corker (TN) and Jeff Sessions (AL). Independent Angus King (ME) did not sign.
Democrats not signing were Tammy Baldwin (WI); Barbara Boxer (CA); Tom Carper (DE); Al Franken (MN); Mazio Hirono (HI); Tim Kaine (VA); Pat Leahy (VT); Chris Murphy (CT); Jack Reed (RI); Jeane Shaneen (NH); Jon Tester (MT) and Tom Udall (NM).
I switched my registration from Republican to Democrat to vote for Sanders in the primary. I will vote 3rd party in November.
Apartheid is apartheid is apartheid is apartheid is apartheid. You can argue that it’s “necessary” all you like (the Boers did too). It still is what it is.
Israeli Mossad exaggerated the Iraqi WMD threat.
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2003-12-04-israeli-iraq-threat_x.htm
If that is the “best intelligence service in the world”, then the world is in big trouble.