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Comment and Opinion

Ynet: Israel-US deal mired with disagreements, by Reuters

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Negotiations meant to enshrine US defense aid for Israel over the next decade have snagged on disputes about the size, scope and fine print of a new multibillion-dollar package, officials say. Five months into the talks, several US and Israeli officials disclosed details about the disputes to Reuters on condition of anonymity. The US and Israeli governments said negotiations were continuing, declining to elaborate.

Israel is seeking up to $10 billion more than the current 10-year package and billions more than the US administration is offering, partly by asking for guaranteed funding for missile defence projects hitherto funded on an ad hoc basis by the US Congress, the officials said. US President Barack Obama wants to ensure the funds, thus far spent partly on Israeli arms, are eventually spent entirely on US-made weapons.

The differences partly reflect Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s vocal opposition to the international nuclear deal with Iran championed by President Obama. The two sides are also at loggerheads over the Palestinians.Israel has long been a major recipient of US aid, most in the form of military assistance against a backdrop of an ebbing and flowing conflict with the Palestinians and Israel’s neighbors, as well as threats from Iran. Obama has pushed hard for a resolution to the conflict, but has made little headway.

In seeking a sharp increase in military funding, Israel argues it needs to offset military purchases by Iran, Israel’s regional arch-foe, after it secured sanctions relief in the accord limiting its nuclear program.

Read the full analysis at Ynet.