US Congress approves Israel aid increase

[Scurrilous]

<snip>

"The US Congress has approved a 170 million dollar increase in security assistance to Israel as part of its new 10-year, 30 billion dollar defense aid commitment to the Jewish state.

The money for Israel was part of a larger supplemental spending bill that included 162 billion dollars for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The legislation gained final approval in a 92-6 Senate vote late Thursday.

America's pro-Israel lobby, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, welcomed the congressional action, saying it would increase US aid to Israel to 2.55 billion dollars in fiscal year 2009, up from 2.38 billion dollars this year.

"The US commitment to maintaining Israel's qualitative military edge is the cornerstone of American policy in the region," AIPAC said in a statement Friday."

more

[silverlib]

1. Well, I tried to recommend this thread...

but since I can't - I'll just give it a kick. Isn't this just lovely - Can't say how happy I am that AiPAC is happy...:sarcasm:

[Clovis Sangrail]

2. out of curiosity

where does Obama stand on funneling money to Israel?

[Scurrilous]

3. He voted for the bill:

How they voted: Senate roll call on war bill

http://www.federalnewsradio.com/index.php?sid=1429682&nid=78


Obama addresses pro-Israel AIPAC

<snip>

"That starts with ensuring Israel's qualitative military advantage. I will ensure that Israel can defend itself from any threat - from Gaza to Tehran. Defense cooperation between the United States and Israel is a model of success, and must be deepened. As President, I will implement a Memorandum of Understanding that provides $30 billion in assistance to Israel over the next decade - investments to Israel's security that will not be tied to any other nation. First, we must approve the foreign aid request for 2009. Going forward, we can enhance our cooperation on missile defense. We should export military equipment to our ally Israel under the same guidelines as NATO. And I will always stand up for Israel's right to defend itself in the United Nations and around the world."

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/06/27/obama.aipac/