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U.S President George W. Bush. (Reuters)
Last update - 09:41 10/06/2008
Congress gets behind Israel's aid request
By Amos Harel
Tags: military aid, israel 

A year after U.S. President George W. Bush agreed to increase military aid to Israel by 25 percent, it now seems that all political obstacles that had prevented Democrats in Congress from coming on board and supporting the extra aid have been lifted.

Last June, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert convinced Bush of the need for additional military support in view of the growing strategic threats faced by Israel in the wake of the Second Lebanon War, in 2006.

Nonetheless, despite the president's commitment to an increase, an agreement was not finalized.
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Political and defense sources in Israel had said that the main reason for the delay stemmed from concerns among Democrats, who control both houses of Congress, that the additional defense aid would be credited to the Republicans during a major election year. Not only is the White House up for grabs in 2008, but also the House of Representatives and a third of all Senate seats.

In Israel, it had been hoped that the increased assistance would begin flowing as early as October 2008. The delay, however, is likely to defer certain plans in Israel by as much as two years, since the Bush administration is unable to find the time to deal with the issue during its final year in office.

Both Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni joined Olmert in trying to convince the Democrats to support increasing military assistance to Israel.

An agreement was finalized during Olmert's meeting last Thursday in Washington with the majority Democratic leadership and the minority Republicans in the Senate.

Among the systems Israel is keen to acquire with the extra assistance is the F-35 stealth attack fighter, the cost of which is estimated at $100 million each. Israel is also planning to spend at least $1 billion, partly with U.S. military assistance, in upgraded missile defense systems.

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      1.   time to re-fill the begging bowl 04:02  |  wibism 10/06/08
      2.   Israel claims and celebrates being an independant state 04:39  |  American in NY 10/06/08
      3.   Which Version Of The F-35 Does Israel Want? 05:52  |  Jeff Northridge 10/06/08
      4.   Military aid bad for Israel 06:14  |  David 10/06/08
      5.   Throwing money at Israel will not fix any problems 06:29  |  Natallie Durson 10/06/08
      6.   double edged sword 06:31  |  Bob 10/06/08
      7.   double edged sword 06:35  |  Bob 10/06/08
      8.   Throwing anything at Nuts-allie will not fix her 08:00  |  Sane-allie 10/06/08
      9.   financed terror 08:09  |  sam i am 10/06/08
      10.   By arming Israel to the teeth--- 08:17  |  Fair-minded 10/06/08
      11.   "Throwing money at Israel will not fix any problems" 08:43  |  Jhimbo 10/06/08
      12.   Congress gets behind Israel`s aid request 08:50  |  An Arab Neighbor 10/06/08
      13.   A Giant Sucking Sound is Heard 09:40  |  Alan 10/06/08
      14.   This aid package must be condemned... 10:07  |  Dutch 10/06/08
      15.   Israel - the world`s most expert panhandlers 10:14  |  Clickfool 10/06/08
      16.   WHILE AMERICANS STARVE 13:15  |  VIPER 10/06/08
      17.   the US gets more out of millitary aid than Israel does 13:59  |  zionist forever 10/06/08
      18.   #1 wibism - guess WHO begged 3 times over the last 6 months? 14:25  |  CK Tan 10/06/08
      19.   #18, yet they dance when Americans are killed! 15:04  |  DR 10/06/08
      20.   And Israel takes Congress from behind... 15:14  |  Palestinian in UK 10/06/08
      21.   An empty gesture. 15:17  |  petra 10/06/08
      22.   To Natallie Durson 15:19  |  Oleg 10/06/08
      23.   #9 how ignorant 15:30  |  Pastor Joseph 10/06/08
      24.   #14 Dutch the Lib in Massachusetts 15:35  |  Pastor Joseph 10/06/08
      25.   #20 Pali in UK...gladly giving my tax $ to Israel 15:39  |  Pastor Joseph 10/06/08
      26.   He Is Heavy, He Ain`t My Brother. 15:45  |  Cool B 10/06/08
      27.   Eat your hearts out,you miserable sods,Israel deserves every cent 15:51  |  Shaun McCloud 10/06/08
      28.   #26 Cool B you ain`t Cool 15:54  |  Pastor Joseph 10/06/08
      29.   Mr Know All from Sussex 16:17  |  Bobby Sands 10/06/08
      30.   Not true, clickfool 16:58  |  Sam C 10/06/08
      31.   # 12 Arab Neighbor...as well as the Arab States 17:06  |  Lynn 10/06/08
      32.   # 2 American in NY... I suggest we cut off 17:14  |  Lynn 10/06/08
      33.   USA Unemployment Record 17:19  |  Sumanto 10/06/08
      34.   Israel really needs to put a few B-2 Bombers on their list also 17:34  |  Dish It Out 10/06/08
      35.   25% increase in aid why? 18:00  |  julie 10/06/08
      36.   #2 NY american`s laughable IGNORANCE (retry) 18:05  |  CK Tan 10/06/08
      37.   #5 natallie PROVES that one CANNOT teach this OLD DOG 18:06  |  CK Tan 10/06/08
      38.   #9 sam i am IGNORANT of FACTS that`s why (retry) 18:07  |  CK Tan 10/06/08
      39.   #35 Julie...here it is... 18:38  |  Pastor Joseph 10/06/08
      40.   Another proof that USA and Israelstrong allies 19:28  |  David Israel 10/06/08
      41.   response to Clickfool #15 19:29  |  Dish It Out 10/06/08
      42.   It seems we`ll have to wait for better schools and health care .. 20:01  |  arik 10/06/08
      43.   you guys don`t want Israel to have to fund its own wars 20:09  |  Paul Freedman 10/06/08
      44.   What a waste of MONEY!!!! 20:14  |  scalito 10/06/08
      45.   #42 arik wants some welfare and freebies 20:22  |  Pastor Joseph 10/06/08
      46.   #44 scalito-shortsighted in Houston 20:26  |  Pastor Joseph 10/06/08
      47.   Didn`t Israel run a $2 billion surplus last year? 20:26  |  Che Vive 10/06/08
      48.   re Alan #13 `A giant sucking sound is heard` 20:36  |  Colin Wright 10/06/08
      49.   #47 Che Vive then do something... 20:43  |  Pastor Joseph 10/06/08
      50.   Quickest way to give stealth to China 21:13  |  USA 10/06/08
      51.   Lynn # 32 It would be a good idea 21:26  |  American in NY 10/06/08
      52.   This is an outrage 21:34  |  JFC 10/06/08
      53.   # 50 USA in NYC...I think your confusing... 21:34  |  Pastor Joseph 10/06/08
      54.   The criminals in the defense and armaments industry are the only 22:03  |  lakshmi 10/06/08
      55.   #44 Enraged Scalito ... 22:06  |  American 10/06/08
      56.   two things wrong with statement 22:20  |  hollingsworth 10/06/08
      57.   1.8 Million US Veterans Are Uninsured 22:45  |  CDM 10/06/08
      58.   The Lobby is to thank for such largesse. 23:46  |  Matt 10/06/08
      59.   Subsidies for Lebensraum and ethnic cleansing 23:49  |  American in NY 10/06/08
      60.   Israeli Aid 00:51  |  ROBERT 11/06/08
      61.   The mendicant welfare case at it again 01:44  |  Labhras 11/06/08
      62.   #49 Pastor Joseph 02:16  |  Che Vive 11/06/08
      63.   Enough is Enough 06:31  |  Sally 11/06/08
      64.   This aid reflects the sinfulness of the US & Israel 10:11  |  Dutch 11/06/08
      65.   david Israel the prof is still not there 15:04  |  American in NY 11/06/08
      66.   The strategy has worked for the time 17:14  |  hollingsworth 11/06/08
      67.   # 13 Alan 22:36  |  Realsitic arab 11/06/08
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