Senate Supports Ten-Year Military Aid Package from the U.S. to Israel

The U.S. Senate, with a bipartisan resolution, has once again supported the provision of a ten-year military aid package to Israel amounting to $38 billion, moving this package into the legislative process in the U.S. At the same time, the Senate approved an additional $550 million in aid for the Israeli army for this year, with support from both the Republican and Democratic parties. According to the U.S. aid package, more American weapons will be stored at regional bases, and the Israeli army will have the discretion to access them in wartime conditions. The U.S. aid package also enables cooperation between Israel and NASA, the U.S. space agency. Israeli media reported on Friday, August 12, that the U.S. military aid packages, aimed at 'ensuring Israel's security,' were approved during recent sessions in the Washington Senate. On Wednesday, August 10, the Senate approved the annual U.S. military budget under the title of national defense expenditures, totaling $639 billion; the House of Representatives had previously agreed to it. The ratification of these resolutions by Donald Trump, the President of the United States, seems certain given the support from both parties in the House and Senate. The provision of $38 billion in U.S. aid to Israel for a ten-year period from 2018 onwards was discussed and arranged in the final days of Barack Obama's presidency between the political and military delegations of the two countries. After reaching the JCPOA, the nuclear agreement of the world powers with Iran, Barack Obama increased the annual U.S. aid to Israel, which had previously been just over $3 billion per year, to an average of $3.8 billion, aiming to appease Israel, which was strongly opposed to the deal. The United States agreed to guarantee a ten-year period for providing assistance to Israel instead of approving aid packages year by year. The memorandum of understanding between the two countries regarding this ten-year package was signed in September 2016. A few days later, Donald Trump won the presidential election, and Republicans emphasized that aid to Israel was insufficient and that more assistance should be provided. In December 2016, during the last days of Barack Obama's presidency, the Senate approved a separate $600 million aid for developing cooperation between the two countries in missile affairs. According to Israeli media, the Senate has once again supported the ten-year military and arms package to Israel and has agreed to provide an additional $550 million to the Israeli army. According to reports from Arutz Sheva and JTA, $500 million is allocated for cooperation between the two countries in developing Israel's missile defense systems, and $50 million is designated for assisting Israeli military inventions to counter infiltration tunnels and for building more equipment to detect such tunnels. AIPAC, the American-Israeli Public Affairs Committee, which has worked in the past two years for the faster approval of military aid to Israel in Washington's chambers, expressed satisfaction with the Senate's resolution on Wednesday, stating that Israel will have the necessary capabilities to defend itself against increasing threats. AIPAC referred to what it called 'threats arising from Iran's military presence on Israel's northern border.' Recently, Israel has sought to draw the attention of the U.S. and Russia to the necessity of removing Iranian forces and their allies from Syria, speaking about the dangers posed by this presence. In this context, the Israeli Defense Minister stated that the situation in Syria has returned to its previous state.