U.S. Set to Sign Biggest Aid Package in History with Israel

WASHINGTON - JULY 8: during a swearing-in ceremony at the State Department July 8, 2011 i
Brendan Smialowski/Getty

The Times of Israel reports: A new US military aid package to Israel — said to be the largest in American history — is expected to be finalized in the very near future, US Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro (pictured) said on Sunday.

Speaking at a counter-terrorism conference shortly after a 9/11 memorial ceremony in Israel marking 15 years since the deadliest terror attack on US soil, Shapiro said the new agreement would be in place until 2029 and would constitute “the US’s biggest aid package to any other country in history.”

The deal, he said at the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya’s International Institute for Counter-Terrorism, “would be finalized in the very near future.”

US and Israeli officials have been in talks for months to hammer out a memorandum of understanding that would increase US military aid to Israel for the next 10 years, due to be renewed before 2018.

The current aid package stands at $3 billion annually, and Israel has asked that the amount for the next 10-year deal be raised to $3.7 billion each year, according to reports.

Read more here.

COMMENTS

Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.