New U.S.-Israel military aid deal gives license to Israeli impunity

September 14, 2016–After months of negotiations, the U.S. and Israel reached a final agreement on a new memorandum of understanding that would provide $38 billion in U.S. military aid to Israel over the next 10 years. The deal is the largest pledge of U.S. military assistance made to any country ever. The deal requires Israel to refrain from requesting additional aid from Congress over the next 10 years, and will phase out the special arrangement which had allowed Israel to use up to a quarter of the aid money on its own defense industry, instead requiring that all aid be spent with U.S. arms manufacturers.

Jewish Voice for Peace views this military aid arrangement as a crucial part of upholding Israel’s current violations of international law and allowing human rights abuses to continue with impunity.

Rebecca Vilkomerson, executive director, Jewish Voice for Peace:

“Just a few months after Palestinians in the occupied territories began their 50th year living under repressive Israeli military rule, the United States is once again committing to a decade of increased military aid to Israel, despite that country’s deplorable human rights record. The main beneficiaries of this unprecedented amount of aid will be not just the Israeli military, but also the U.S. arms industry.”

“At a time when the U.S. claims to oppose the expansion of Israeli settlements built illegally on occupied Palestinian land, increasing the military aid package is rewarding destructive Israeli behavior that violates longstanding official U.S. policy and international law. As a result, the US is effectively underwriting Israel’s occupation and apartheid policies towards the Palestinians.”

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