Harry Reid: Israel May Need More Aid

[Purveyor]

Source: Politico

By BURGESS EVERETT | 7/28/14 3:04 PM EDT

The Obama administration’s $225 million request to aid Israel during its war with Hamas may not be enough, warned Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Monday afternoon.

At the request of Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, Senate Democrats folded $225 million for Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system into a larger bill that offers $2.7 billion in emergency funding to deal with the influx of Central American migrants to the southern border. But Reid said Israel will need even more help from the United States if the war in Gaza continues, demonstrating the need to pass the funding package this week ahead of a five-week congressional recess.

Reid predicted that Hagel’s aid request for Israel may turn out to be “only temporary” given the steep costs associated with operating Iron Dome, which picks off Hamas’s rockets at a price-tag of $62,000 per missile, according to Reid.

“We should not give the Israeli people the minimum amount of aid and then cross our fingers and hope it all works out in the future,” Reid said. “We can do better and need to go further in protecting Israel.”






Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2014/07/israel-us-aid-hamas-harry-reid-109452.html#ixzz38ofGdJZU

[bravenak]

1. No.

So i sent him an angry email threatening primaries and young voters. Won't work but it felt good.

[psychopomp]

100. GAZA LIVE FEED (disturbing)

http://occupystreams.org/channels/occupiedair-2/

[jaysunb]

2. NO ! DAMN IT ! NO ! n/t

[sheshe2]

3. No!

[newfie11]

4. Bullshit!!!

Absolutely NO

[LoisB]

5. OH, HELL NO!

[thatgemguy]

6. Aren't we too broke to help our own people? n/t

[City Lights]

76. That's what they want us to believe.

It's disgusting.

[Aerows]

99. Can't fix our highways and bridges

need to cut Social Security to our elderly, but by golly we can scare up some money to help people that have universal health care, strong infrastructure and already get plenty of our tax dollars. Then they call our Secretary of State a "terrorist" making "terrorist demands" because he is trying to broker peace.

If that's an ally, I'm the Queen of England.

[DeadLetterOffice]

7. Oh my god, my head.

[Sienna86]

8. No. nt

[PDJane]

9. Israel will always need more aid. The question is whether or not the US should continue to provide.

[DeadLetterOffice]

16. That word -- 'aid'

Aid: to provide support for or relief to

as opposed to:

Aid and Abet: to assist another in the commission of a crime by words or conduct

I fail to see how giving the current Israeli gov't more $$ to bomb Gaza falls into the first or escapes the second

[arcane1]

35. It provides support for and relief to American corporations

See post #28

[PatSeg]

112. My reaction as well

"Aid" was a really poor choice of words.

[Autumn]

10. “We should not give the American people the minimum amount of aid then cross our fingers

and hope it all works out in the future,” Reid said. “We can do better and need to do better by the American people”

There you go Harry, fixed that for you. Now don't that fucking sound better?

[IronGate]

11. Good for Harry Reid for supporting Israel against the terrorist org Hama. nt.

[atreides1]

95. You forgot to finish!

You didn't put "terrorist org Hama and the Palestinian people"!

Who the fuck is Hama?

[L0oniX]

104. Hillary 2016 ...will give them much more money.

[IronGate]

105. Good. nt.

[frylock]

106. are they short of missiles?

[DRoseDARs]

12. Raise your hand if you DIDN'T see that coming...

*crickets*

[TheCowsCameHome]

13. Why not? We'd only be pissing it away over here

on our own needs.



WTF, Harry.

[Plucketeer]

23. + 100000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 !!

Yeah, SO MANY things we need here - but we hafta protect our Rapture canary so's we can all "get right" for our ascension!

[PeoViejo]

73. What about the Third Temple?

That's going to cost a bundle too, being covered in Gold and all that.

[Enthusiast]

71. PLUS ONE!

An entire shit load!

[hrmjustin]

14. No! not while they are killing civilians.

Last edited Mon Jul 28, 2014, 10:13 PM - Edit history (1)

Is there no end to this!

[think4yourself]

15. Oh, HELL NO.

[bemildred]

17. Yeah, they are going to need more ammo too. nt

[kysrsoze]

89. Demolishing all of Gaza costs money, and all of our current aid apparently isn't enough

Fuck Harry Reid and Fuck Israel's disgusting, hard-right ruling government, especially Bibi.

[bemildred]

93. Exactly.

Generally, about 4-6 weeks into these things, they run out of ammo and we have to send an emergency shipment. Sometimes the fighting stops before then and we send it after the fighting stops.

[mike_c]

18. no

eom

[Comrade Grumpy]

19. I can't say what I think of this. n/t

[HooptieWagon]

20. Fuck that.

When a child is acting up, you don't increase his allowance. Stop all aid to Israel, that will get their attention.

[Sognefjord]

21. Double-fuck that!!

[PoliticAverse]

22. Can't Israel borrow money to pay for wars themselves? n/t

[DisgustedTX]

32. I see what you did there.

I laughed.

[BillZBubb]

50. NICE! n/t

[freshwest]

24. Strengthen the Iron Dome missile defense system and get out of Gaza.

[Plucketeer]

25. We need the senate

but we DO NOT NEED this sorta charity for the damned war-mongers! We need real leadership in the senate - leadership that knows who it is they serve!

[PoliticAverse]

27. You think Warren would oppose additional aid? n/t

[Plucketeer]

31. I honestly do not know

I do know it's not strictly black and white in DC, but WHEN has our reps EVER come to us and asked how we'd like them to vote? I'll bet if Harry polled Searchlight, he wouldn't get resounding support for this idiocy!

[Marrah_G]

26. Fuck that

Disgusted... seriously disgusted.

[arcane1]

28. As a surely unintended side-effect, US companies have another tax-funded paycheck coming

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-05-27/israel-agrees-to-spend-half-of-iron-dome-funds-in-u-s-.html

May 28, 2014

The Israeli government has agreed to spend more than half the funds the Pentagon provides for its Iron Dome system in the U.S., bolstering the political appeal of the missile-defense system in America.

Funds going to U.S. contractors for components of the Israeli-built, Pentagon-funded system will jump to 30 percent this year and 55 percent next year from 3 percent previously , according to a U.S. Missile Defense Agency report to Congress obtained by Bloomberg News. That amounts to at least $97 million of $176 million requested by the Defense Department for the coming fiscal year



Hmm... a tenfold increase to 30% this year, and up to 55% next year. More Hamas rockets = more money. And if the conflict extends into next year, even more money. MUCH more money. At $62,000 per missile, there are fortunes to be made! There is an enormous incentive to keep this conflict going into 2015.

On this issue, can we trust any politician whose campaigns are funded by those interests who will profit, handsomely, from this crisis?

[Botany]

30. Fuck 'em

bibi netanyahu went out of his way to kill the peace talks in early June 2014

[ReRe]

33. This make me nauseus...

... I got the same feeling when they passed that unanimous resolution to support Israel, which even Bernie Sanders went along with. Is the USG afraid of Israel? That's our tax dollars that Harry's offering up to Israel. So we can provide cover for Israel while Israel commits atrocities against humanity.
Stop the world and let me off.

[Indykatie]

34. The Hold of Israel Over Our Politicians Sickens Me

This insanity needs to stop but I fear it never will since Dems and Repubs are both so committed to the Israeli cause but for different reasons. Other countries are criticizing Israel but the US is not capable of seeing any wrong in their actions.

[mylye2222]

81. You can write Carter/Kerry.

Woild be good. The two Dems MrNiceGuys.

[geek tragedy]

36. America's citizens need that aid a lot more than a bunch of Neocon ingrates nt

[BobbyBoring]

37. I refuse to be a part

Of what Israel is doing. The outright destruction of Gaza and the murder of Innocent's doesn't sit well with me.

[ballyhoo]

38. Screw Israel and screw Harry Reid. We, in fact,

are killing the Palestinians ourselves and the world knows it. Turkey should tell us to take a hike if an increase in spending to Israel goes through.

[stranger81]

39. Just sent my email to Senator Reid imploring him to reconsider.

I'd urge anyone else who does not want American tax dollars spent on the further needless slaughter of innocents to do the same.

[stranger81]

59. Also emailed my senators, representative, President Obama & VP Biden.

My basic message:

Dear Senator Boxer:

I feel compelled to write to express my deep distress about the ongoing crisis in Gaza, and to urge you not to support an additional dime of funding to Israel as long as it continues its current campaign in Gaza. The brutality of this latest military endeavor has been shocking and shockingly disproportionate. Our country should have nothing to do with supporting a military action that, to date, has an 80% civilian casualty rate by the IDF's own reckoning, and which has killed close to 250 innocent children in just a few days' time. Lending any further support to this kind of indiscriminate violence harms our nation's security interests. It is morally reprehensible. It diminishes our standing in the international community, whose norms Israel is violating in the most flagrant way.

Please, please, please -- find it in your heart to take a strong stand against the continued slaughter in Gaza, and say NO to any additional U.S. funds to Israel for any purpose so long as Israeli military operations in Gaza are ongoing. The United States should stand firmly against causing such wanton harm and suffering -- it should in no way facilitate it.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

[Dustlawyer]

41. +1!!! Fed up enough at what the campaign money does to our politics?

Sept 13th - Nov 4th and beyond let's protest outside of local TV and Radio stations to get the money out of our elections! They respond to Donors, not us, but we pay the bills. Let's make the media air the campaign ads as a public service for using our airwaves. Demand Publicly Funded Federal, State, and Local Elections. Spread the word and stop this give away to Israel and the MIC!

The more money a candidate raises, the worse they look in our protest. We can ask what do they have to do for all of that money? We can at least change the conversation to our corrupt government! The alternative is more of this shit!

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

43. Since the current conflict in Gaza apparently involves a big mistake by Israel

wherein Netanyahu wrongly blamed all of Hamas for the terrible kidnapping and murder of the three Israeli teens in the west Bank, I don't think we should compound the mistake by encouraging Israel to proceed any further. I consider myself to be a supporter of Israel, but not a blind supporter.


http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2014/07/hamas-didnt-kidnap-the-israeli-teens-after-all.html


It Turns Out Hamas May Not Have Kidnapped and Killed the 3 Israeli Teens After All

"...When the bodies of three Israeli teenagers, kidnapped in the West Bank, were found late last month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not mince words. "Hamas is responsible, and Hamas will pay," he said, initiating a campaign that eventually escalated into the present conflict in the region.

But now, Israeli officials admit the kidnappings were not Hamas's handiwork after all. (Update: The comments from the Israeli spokesperson in question indicate that the group thought to be responsible, a "lone cell," may not have been under direct orders from Hamas's leadership, but was loosely affiliated with the group. ..."

[former9thward]

60. Nice try at covering up the facts.

Hamas celebrated the kidnappings whether they directly ordered it or not. But that is besides the point. Israel did not begin its attack until Hamas began firing rockets against Israel.

[Maedhros]

62. Israeli propaganda.

/ignore.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

65. I'm not making up the story - it's printed in the U.S. press

And everything I've read and heard up to yesterday on TV indicated that Hamas DIDN'T take responsibility. An accusation that I'm covering up facts is just blindly lashing out on your part. Do you deny that Netanyahu said "Hamas will pay"? Do you deny that hundreds of Palestinians from the West Bank were arrested over an act not even performed by Hamas, which by all accounts precipitated the current violence? Or are those facts you choose to ignore?

[former9thward]

88. Of course they didn't take responsibliity.

Last edited Tue Jul 29, 2014, 01:52 PM - Edit history (1)

Name one time when Hamas has taken responsibility for ANYTHING unlike Israel who has admitted mistakes. Hamas did publicly celebrate the kidnapping. The Palestinians to this day still refuse to cooperate in the murder investigation -- again unlike Israel which arrested people swiftly in the Palestinian murder. Those are the facts

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

113. That's fine but the Israeli government has publicly admitted

that Hamas wasn't responsible and that they were mistaken. According to New York Magazine (and the reporting on CNN I heard yesterday) "But now, Israeli officials admit the kidnappings were not Hamas's handiwork after all." Again you are avoiding the points in the main article that I posted, that Netanyahu promised Hamas would pay whereas he was admittedly mistaken, and that the mass arrests in the West Bank precipitated the current conflict.

[former9thward]

115. Hamas is not a blogger.

It is the government in Gaza and part of the unity government in the PA. When you are in that position and you celebrate a terrorist act then you own it -- whether you like it or not. Hamas is losing its rockets and tunnels that are used for terrorist operations and that is a good thing.

[jamzrockz]

67. Remind me of the whole

Palestinians are celebrating 9/11 lie where footage of Palestinians rejoicing giving of candy for a totally different event was shown as proof (13s proof) that Palestinians celebrated 9/11.

But then again, it doesn't matter if they Hamas celebrated the killing, you have no right to start slaughtering people because they enjoyed in your tragedy. If they didn't do anything to you, you don't attack them. Its that simple.

[former9thward]

90. And Israel didn't.

Until the rockets started flying. Try again.

[postulater]

44. Aid to Detroit, Not Israel.

[LovingA2andMI]

55. Say that again!!!

[BrotherIvan]

63. +1

[maddiemom]

91. Great Idea!

[harun]

108. +1

[wisteria]

45. I get the idea of additional aid, but shouldn't there be stipulations attached to the aid.

Like, perhaps, not indiscriminately killing every Palestinian who happens to be at the wrong place when you decide to fire your rockets. Surely, there is a more humane ways to gain the security they claim they want. Though, I am beginning to wonder if they are not attempting annihilation of the Palestinians.

[williesgirl]

46. NFW!

[Baclava]

47. It's almost election time!

Thousands Descend on Manhattan to Rally for Israel



The New York Congressional delegation, as well as NYC elected officials, joined Monday afternoon 10 thousand New Yorkers gathered at a mass ‘New York Stands with Israel’ rally at the Dag Hammarskjold Plaza in Midtown Manhattan.

http://observer.com/2014/07/thousands-descend-on-manhattan-to-rally-for-israel/

[stranger81]

48. Disgusting.

Let these people fund the bullets themselves if they have such a jones on for killing children.

[cpwm17]

57. They need to be sent to the Gaza Strip to see how it feels

They are far more guilty for the conflict than the Palestinians that are being smashed by the military they so strongly support.

[BillZBubb]

49. That makes me sick.

Not only does the US cover for Israel's war crimes in the UN but now we rush to bankroll the slaughter.

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

51. Go right ahead, Harry. Call it the baby killer MIC fund drive.

We haves to keep the gears of war going: chewing up every civilian and children it can get its claws on.

[m-lekktor]

52. wow. nt

[LovingA2andMI]

53. HECKIE NO!!

While Citizens IN Detroit -- that's in the United States of America last time we checked -- are being subject to unjust water shut offs based on living with a 25% unemployment rate, 35% underemployment rate and 40% poverty rate -- all while being drove to the front steps of U.S. Bankruptcy Court by Governor Rick Snyder.

This crapola really makes one MAD!!

[Fuddnik]

54. That's the problem. Israel gets too much aid.

[NealK]

56. This is sick!

[factsarenotfair]

58. ohdeargodno

[Tuesday_Morning]

61. disgusting

no

[1monster]

64. NO!

[Paper Roses]

66. No, no more. We have had enough, we have given enough. We suffer enough.

When our own citizens suffer from one serious thing after another, how can we justify any more aid? Enough with the guns and bombs. Enough death and destruction.
Sorry Harry, I don't agree with you.

[Helen Borg]

68. Yes, we can do better: force a two-state solution!!!

No more hand outs until then.

[Chemisse]

69. NO!

If they want to play war games, they need to pay for it themselves.

Just the idea that my tax dollars are helping them bomb civilians makes me sick.

[Buenaventura]

70. Absolutely not! n/t

[Enthusiast]

72. Harry Reid, what in the fuck is wrong with you?

Have you lost your mind? The people of Detroit have their water shut off and you want to send more money to Israel? Priorities, man.

[PoliticAverse]

74. How much money have the people of Detroit contributed to Reid's reelection?...

http://maplight.org/us-congress/interest/J5100/view/all

[BrainDrain]

75. NO and NO again

NFW..not one dam cent for those killers

[Vinca]

77. No. They have no interest in negotiating peace.

It's as if Dick Cheney is in charge.

[24601]

78. At the end of the day, all politics are local - even those on the other side of the world. Reid is

simply evaluating the Nov 4th results if a closely-allied constituency sit out 2014 regarding their votes and, more importantly, campaign donations in key races.

US support to Israel didn't happen by accident. The inclusion of Jewish voters into the Democratic coalition brings in traditionally liberal leanings on a number of issues plus hard-working political activism. Ruling cannot be accomplished with a series of single-issue votes that sometimes conflict.

[rtracey]

79. After what they said about Kerry

I believe Israel can go F themselves

[mylye2222]

80. Harry Reid never liked and supported JK after 2004 until

he was sworned SOS. Hes delighted to put himself on the front by trashing SoS Kerry. And this goes with licking Bibis shoes.

[valerief]

82. They ALWAYS have money for WAR. nt

[Hotler]

83. FUCK NO HARRY!.....n/t

[ladjf]

84. This saddens me to see that Reid is a total sellout. nt

[mylye2222]

86. Not the first time hes a sellout

He didnt hesitated to slam JK in a book while both were senators...calling him "unpopular"

[ladjf]

117. Yes. But, he seems to be getting more crass. nt

[blackspade]

85. Really?

This isn't 'aid.'

This is giving them weapons.

[sinkingfeeling]

87. Are we giving Hamas $225 million as well? I really dislike paying

for the slaughter of innocent people.

[Adrahil]

92. Hey, they shit all over us.... seems like more money is the natural response. WTF?

No offense, but if you're gonna shot all over us, then you're on your fuckin' own.

[Aerows]

98. Mock our Secretary of State

act like arrogant assholes and then hold a hand out. We have so many things that need to be done in OUR country.

[TBF]

94. I think there are far better uses

of our tax dollars than killing people. My vote is no.

[Tetris_Iguana]

96. No

At least not without strings attached.

[Aerows]

97. God forbid

we invest in the infrastructure of OUR nation that we pay taxes for. No, let's hand it all over to Israel that has universal health care, sound infrastructure and plenty of money to bomb the shit out of Gaza.

I'm so eager to pay for that instead of spending money at home.

[yurbud]

101. We should not give the AMERICAN people minimum amounts of aid and hope it protects them from WALL ST

[Trillo]

118. Is yours an allegory?

You seem to be saying the American people are Palestinians and Wall Street is Israel.

Just asking.

[yurbud]

121. something like that. It would just be nice if Congress got that worked up about protecting us from

real threats too.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

102. The AIPAC is strong with you, young Reidwalker

[L0oniX]

103. "Go fuck yourself" No offense. Spend money on people not war.

[postulater]

109. I'll double on the "Go fuck yourself."

Everyday is just another rotten mess and when it's gonna change, my friend, is anybody's guess.

[harun]

107. Not US tax payers problem!

[ann---]

110. And Reid may need

a brain transplant.

[stranger81]

114. From what I heard on the radio this morning,

this is pretty much a done deal. Both chambers already have bills lined up to provide additional funding for killing additional Palestinians. Doesn't sound like there will be much, if any, debate before signing these murderous bills into law.

[KamaAina]

116. Say WHAT?!

[Trillo]

119. In order to help Central American kids

we must fund a foreign defense which frees up Israeli funds for the slaughter of Palestinian kids?

It seems to be some kind of legislative insanity.

[nilesobek]

120. The worst congress ever and proving it exponentially.

[lululu]

122. they may need to take out a few more shelters and power plants. I'm sure the US can help them do it

Plus there are some Palestinians left alive there. Some homes, farms, and businesses not yet rubble.

[Tom Ripley]

123. Fuck that noise

[lululu]

124. another day, another school taken out

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/31/world/middleeast/israel-gaza.html

"Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, a spokesman for the Israeli military, said Wednesday morning he was looking into what struck the school....

Robert Turner, the Gaza-based director of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, which owns the school and was operating the shelter, said “at least three explosive projectiles” hit before dawn on Wednesday, when about 3,300 people were at the site."

15 more dead.

[Orsino]

125. Arms merchants may need more welfare. n/t

[CBGLuthier]

126. You got a little something on your nose there Harry.

[Swede Atlanta]

127. No Harry, No!

Bibi needs to understand when we ask you to stop new settlements and you thumb your nose at us it makes us kind of mad. When we criticize you for dropping bombs on schools and kill hundreds and you thumb your nose at us it makes us a little madder.

Israel needs to learn they are a small, two-bit country. Yes they have lots of guns and planes and even a nuke or two or a hundred. But they really are a little two-bit country. Without American financial and military aid they would be overrun by their neighbors. It would take time but Israel would cease to exist. Slowly but surely they would wither away and die.

We need to wean Bibi off of American money and aid. Unfortunately both the Democrats and Republicans are Israel's bitches. They do whatever Bibi tells them to do. Both parties are the same. Absolutely no difference here. They fall over one another to see how much money and help we can give Bibi and his killing party, Likud.

[savalez]

128. Wait, what?

[LibertyLover]

129. Not just no, Harry

and not just hell no. But something on the order of F*CKING HELL NO begins to get my feelings on more aid to Israel across.

[Brigid]

130. I'll let Grumpy Cat take this one:

[img][/img]

[AnalystInParadise]

131. God Bless you Harry Reid

n/t