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Last update - 04:20 21/06/2007
U.S. to increase military aid to Israel in decade-long deal
By Aluf Benn and Shmuel Rosner, Haaretz Correspondents

The United States will increase its military assistance to Israel and sign a new agreement securing American aid to the country for the next decade, President George W. Bush announced Tuesday following his meeting with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

Olmert had persuaded Bush to announce the aid increase, senior political sources said Wednesday.

Prior to Olmert's visit to Washington it was agreed that the issue would be raised during their meeting, but the President gave his response to the Israeli request for increased military assistance only during the meeting with the prime minister.
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"The increase of the military assistance is the most important result of Olmert's visit to the United States," the political sources said.

This year, Israel will receive $2.4 billion in military aid from the U.S.

The agreement concluded by former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to which the United States' economic aid package to Israel would be gradually diminished and the military aid would increase, is coming to an end this year.

According to the existing arrangement, most of the grant is meant for procurement from the U.S. industry, and Israel is allowed to spend 26.7 percent of the military assistance in shekel purchases for acquisitions from local defense industries.

Israel asked for a gradual increase in the aid over a 10-year period at the tune of $50 million per year. At the end of the 10 years, Israel will receive $2.9 billion annually in military assistance from the U.S.

Olmert told the president that an announcement on the increase in aid would be an expression of American support for Israel against the growing threats to its existence in the region.

In its announcement, the U.S. reiterated that the increased funds will allow Israel to deal with the new challenges it faces and to ensure a "qualitative military edge."

The prime minister asked U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates for his assistance in expediting the handling of a number of IDF procurement requests meant to complete the replenishment of equipment and stores used during the Second Lebanon War.

Gates pointed out that though there is no problem with the requests in principle, there is an orderly procedure. However, Bush intervened and directed the defense secretary to expedite approval of the IDF's requests
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  1.   Shame on Bush 04:25  |  Omran 21/06/07
  2.   A 10 Year Deal? 04:38  |  Bernie 21/06/07
  3.   Hurray for bush 04:40  |  Kwandell Smiley 21/06/07
  4.   10 years?Christ better hurry. 04:57  |  Billy Jack 21/06/07
  5.   Talkback posters are living in lala land 04:58  |  Gili 21/06/07
  6.   Not so fast Bernie 05:03  |  Sam 21/06/07
  7.   Americans Have to Pay the "Israel Tax" 05:06  |  Dovy 21/06/07
  8.   Nukes make all expendisures moot 05:15  |  Me 21/06/07
  9.   He Couldn`t Get Any More? 05:30  |  Menahem 21/06/07
  10.   a failed state 05:31  |  jerry 21/06/07
  11.   # 5 like Jordan........:) 05:41  |  Lynn 21/06/07
  12.   Another 10 year of dependency increase 06:13  |  Sal 21/06/07
  13.   A message of thanks 06:59  |  Aussie Eli 21/06/07
  14.   Such a deal. The 2% annual "increase" = inflation. 07:09  |  Dr. L. Brnd 21/06/07
  15.   US and Israel - allies forever! 07:11  |  RA 21/06/07
  16.   Cut funding 07:13  |  Ted 21/06/07
  17.   JERRY`/WISHFUL THINKING 07:20  |  JON FEIGENBAUM 21/06/07
  18.   Gili You Can`t Compare 67 to Now 07:39  |  Bernie 21/06/07
  19.   5 Gili: YET you use 2000 year old books to lay claim to the land. 07:46  |  Tupac 21/06/07
  20.   A just peace? 08:00  |  john 21/06/07
  21.   I am grateful 08:12  |  Ron 21/06/07
  22.   Lockheed Martin Will Be Pleased 08:16  |  Rowan Berkeley 21/06/07
  23.   Qualitative Edge? Over what? 08:18  |  Don Camillo 21/06/07
  24.   WHAT ABOUT US 08:22  |  John K 21/06/07
  25.   another grovelling PM representing Israel!!!!! 08:25  |  Ben Uziel 21/06/07
  26.   To # 7 08:28  |  Ron 21/06/07
  27.   ridiculous 08:46  |  Leona 21/06/07
  28.   To Israel`s Naysayers 08:54  |  Steve 21/06/07
  29.   America didn`t even think whether Israel needed the money 08:58  |  Clickfool 21/06/07
  30.   #6 Sam - Leaving Israel to sort out sands 09:01  |  Pablo B 21/06/07
  31.   NO, a hunderd billion times NO! 09:07  |  samos 21/06/07
  32.   Right on # 7 09:07  |  mario 21/06/07
  33.   For Tupac # 12 09:15  |  Clickfool 21/06/07
  34.   Cheap By Any Standard & Evening The Playing Field 09:21  |  Brad 21/06/07
  35.   For Jerry in Chicago # 10 09:25  |  Clickfool 21/06/07
  36.   Olmert is an idiot. 09:30  |  Jake 21/06/07
  37.   # 7 Dovy, We Americans realize that is a very small amount, so 09:37  |  Virginia 21/06/07
  38.   What`s all the whining from the Far left about? 09:44  |  Flying Dutchman 21/06/07
  39.   Hopefully, Olmert will be jettisoned before this deal is inked 09:45  |  Jake 21/06/07
  40.   Shame on Islamists and their fellow travellers. 10:00  |  PETER SM 21/06/07
  41.   #10 and #28 10:03  |  samos 21/06/07
  42.   To Dovey number 7. 10:09  |  David Nigel Braham 21/06/07
  43.   Shame on Bush - but what can we expect from that man? 10:09  |  Silvienne 21/06/07
  44.   Gili: the most moral country in the middle east? 10:12  |  Silvienne 21/06/07
  45.   "U.S. to increase military aid to Israel in decade-long deal" 10:13  |  Maureen Ann 21/06/07
  46.   Dovy, I said the same thing as a joke... 10:14  |  Silvienne 21/06/07
  47.   Menahem #9 10:17  |  Silvienne 21/06/07
  48.   more military assistance, THE FIRE MUST GO ON ! 10:17  |  Atilla Liman 21/06/07
  49.   Clickfool # 24. 10:18  |  David Nigel Braham 21/06/07
  50.   Jerry 10:19  |  Silvienne 21/06/07
  51.   Not a real country 10:20  |  Aid dependent 21/06/07
  52.   Jon Feigenbaum 10:21  |  Silvienne 21/06/07
  53.   Bernie #13 10:23  |  Silvienne 21/06/07
  54.   John: A just peace 10:26  |  Silvienne 21/06/07
  55.   John K #19 10:27  |  Silvienne 21/06/07
  56.   Clickfool #24 10:29  |  Silvienne 21/06/07
  57.   shame on Olmert 10:31  |  D 21/06/07
  58.   Mario in Beirut 10:31  |  Silvienne 21/06/07
  59.   Clickfool 10:35  |  Silvienne 21/06/07
  60.   #40 Hey, that`s true, Maureen Ann.... 10:36  |  Silvienne 21/06/07
  61.   David Nigel 10:38  |  Silvienne 21/06/07
  62.   #36 David 10:38  |  D 21/06/07
  63.   Samos 10:40  |  Silvienne 21/06/07
  64.   Hello Virginia..... 10:42  |  Silvienne 21/06/07
  65.   Jake 10:43  |  Silvienne 21/06/07
  66.   CFOOL.Europeans did very nicely out of US aid-ingrate. 10:47  |  PETER SM 21/06/07
  67.   #2 Bernie 10:51  |  Yonatan 21/06/07
  68.   What is that money used for? 10:54  |  Jasmine Murphy 21/06/07
  69.   No end to occupation 10:57  |  Jan Elshout 21/06/07
  70.   To Silvienne,re #39 11:02  |  Hastaroth 21/06/07
  71.   Silvienne #39: 11:04  |  SAIMON 21/06/07
  72.   I see Fox News isn`t carrying this story on its website 11:04  |  Michael 21/06/07
  73.   #40 Moron Ann 11:05  |  Hastaroth 21/06/07
&nb