U.S. foreign aid to Israel will not be reduced under President Donald Trump’s proposed budget cuts, the State Department said.
“Our assistance to Israel is…guaranteed and that reflects obviously our strong commitment to one of our strongest partners and allies,” State Department spokesman Mark Toner said, Reuters reported.
Trump is proposing a 28-percent cut for American diplomacy and foreign aid for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1. Currently, annual U.S. aid to Israel stands at $3.1 billion. Last September, the Obama administration and the Israeli government signed a Memorandum of Understanding to increase aid for Israel to $3.8 billion annually for the fiscal years from 2019-2028.
The Trump administration’s budget cuts, however, might still affect the status of U.S. aid to Jordan and Egypt, the two Arab neighbors that have official peace treaties with Israel.
“With respect to other assistance levels, foreign military assistance levels, those are still being evaluated and decisions are going to be made going forward,” Toner said, noting that treaty obligations—such as the Jordanian and Egyptian pacts with Israel—would factor into the administration’s decision. JNS.ORG
{Matzav.com}
why doesnt anyone mention… when speaking about military aid to israel… the aid comes with a caveat… Israel has one requirement that no other country has… that is, Israel can only spend the aid on US products. That makes the aid self serving, so why would they reduce the aid? I’m surprised with the rules as they are, why the top military producers dont ask the government to double the aid to Israel…