Bush budget launches new Israel aid

[bemildred]

The Bush administration launched its new $30 billion defense aid to Israel in its proposed 2009 budget.

The $3 trillion budget, released Monday, includes $2.55 billion in defense assistance for Israel. That will increase in increments until 2013, when it will settle at $3.1 billion a year until 2018.

Israel this year received its final $2.4 billion payment in a $24 billion defense assistance package launched in 1998.

The Bush administration increased the amount partly as compensation to Israel for a planned $20 billion in U.S. arms sales to Saudi Arabia and its Arab neighbors.

http://www.jta.org/cgi-bin/iowa/breaking/106804.html

[kayecy]

1. I hope US members think their taxes are being well spent......

......partly as compensation to Israel for a planned $20 billion in U.S. arms sales to Saudi Arabia and its Arab neighbors

How about compensating Israel for the US buying oil from the Arabs? - Makes as much sense.

[bemildred]

2. Well, it does clarify the relationship of the governments, eh?

I mean, why is the US in the habit of giving ANY foreign nations money? For armaments? What does it get in return? It must be some sort of intangible things. You can buy a heck of a lot of extra oil for the extra $50 billion we are talking about here.

[peacetalksforall]

6. It's the route of the money. Taxpayers money is going to their assistance and

it goes back to the U.S. war weapon corporations and to pay lobbyists who wrote the budget and the politicians who facilitated the budget. Those from the past and those for the next -10 TEN years.

[peacetalksforall]

3. Sounds like it's roughtly 3 bil to Israel for 10 years and 2 bil to SA and SA neighbors for 10 years

Now, exactly why do these countries need money from us for defense assistance when Katrina victims are ignored? Why all that money to a new port in Mississippi when Katrina victims are ignored?

Why is there no accountability?

Are there hidden/masked monies going to Israel and Saudi Arabia?

Why are some US people selling Iran nuclear technology and components?

Why doesn't Iran need defense assistance?

Why are our policies so darn messed up?

Hungry children, no money for educations - money to Saudia Arabia, their neighbors, and Israel?

Which neighbors of Saudi Arabia? Syria? Jordan? Lebanon? plus the oil rich ones?

How much do Palestinians get?

[peacetalksforall]

4. We give our taxpayer money to them so that they can send it back to the war weapon corporations?

[peacetalksforall]

5. Isn't our taxpayer money the route to perpetual war in Israel/Palestine?

Without U.S. citizens money and toys would someone get serious about peace?

[PDJane]

7. Yes.

[Waya]

8. Yup......

Enough of the handouts.....

[Shaktimaan]

11. Well, what was it like before US money was in the area?

Not more peaceful, that's for sure. Since the US has been bringing money in there's been peace made between Israel and Egypt and Jordan... as a direct result.

On the other hand, dire poverty has not seemed to have much of an influence on Hamas' willingness to consider peace negotiations, has it?

I do find it interesting that many people here will actually blame Palestinian violence on their lack of access to funds and aid, (when you have nothing to lose, why make peace), then turn around and blame the lack of peace negotiations on Israel receiving too much aid, (US tax $$$ drives the occupation.)

[ProgressiveMuslim]

9. This is sickening. We must bring about boycott, divestment and sanctions NOT increased

US taxpayer support.

[subsuelo]

10. They say they are against supporting the terrorists...

then they do this.

Everything they say they are against, they are really for. Everything they say they are for, they are really against.