BICOM

A new US military aid package to Israel, which has long been under discussion, could be finalised as early as this week, according to media reports.

Israel’s acting National Security Advisor Jacob Nagel travelled to Washington yesterday in an attempt to finalise a new ten-year deal. The current memorandum of understanding details a defence package worth more than £2bn, but is due to expire in 2017. US National Security Advisor Susan Rice has described the new deal under discussion as “the single largest military assistance package with any country in history”.

Writing in Yediot Ahronot, Nahum Barnea suggests that the two remaining sticking points have been resolved. He says that Israel has agreed to the gradual phasing out of the current arrangement whereby Israel is permitted to spend up to 40 per cent of the aid package on defence purchases in Israel. In addition, Israel has also agreed to Washington’s preference to include spending on Israel’s missile defence system within the overall military aid package. Until now, it has been subject to a separate allocation by US Congress.

Meanwhile, IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot is also currently visiting the US as guest of the Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff Joseph Dunford. He will meet Dunford and other senior military officials to discuss “current security challenges, the regional security assessments in the Middle East and military cooperation,” according to an IDF statement.

Eisenkot will receive an honour guard at the Pentagon and lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns at the Arlington National Cemetery. In addition, he will visit a US special forces base in Florida, where Israel’s new squadron of F-35 fighter jets is being built.

US-Israel military cooperation was further underscored last week when Israeli forces conducted a joint training exercise alongside US Marines, called “Noble Shirley”. The exercise, which took place in Israel’s southern Negev region focused on counter-terrorism techniques to help US forces tackle ISIS.