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Israel Could Ask for Additional U.S. Military Aid in Case of Emergency

(Jerusalem Post) Michael Wilner - Israel's acting National Security Adviser Yaakov Nagel, who negotiated the new defense aid deal on Israel's behalf, said Wednesday that the deal guarantees $5 billion over the next decade for missile defense and that Israel has obligated itself not to ask Congress for additional funds for this purpose. Nagel added that Israel can ask for additional funding in case of war, and that it also can ask for additional funding for other items, such as tunnel defense. While under the current defense aid arrangement Israel was able to use 26% of the funds for procurement in Israel, under the new MOU that percentage will gradually decline, starting in the sixth year, until by the 10th year all the funds will have to be spent in the U.S. Nagel said that if under the current MOU, $7.8 billion could be spent in Israel, under the new MOU that number will drop to $5.6 billion. He stressed that the change will be done in a gradual manner, giving Israeli defense industries plenty of time to prepare for the new reality. Nagel did not characterize his talks with the administration as "negotiations," saying that this assistance is a gift. He added that at no time did anyone link the aid package and the Palestinian issue.
2016-09-15 00:00:00
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