Bush Expected to Approve $14b Aid Package to Israel
Monday, November 25 2002 @ 06:30 PM GMT
"The sources said the Republican congressional majority would approve the aid within 3-6 months .."
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM - Israeli sources said that Israel was to submit Monday a request for $14 billion in economic aid to US National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, Ha’aretz reported, amid mounting Palestinian fears this US aid package would be used by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) to reinforce their occupation of Palestinian Territory and to finance the expanding illegal Jewish settlement there.
President George W. Bush is expected to quickly approve the request - $4 billion in defense aid and US guarantees for $10 billion - with minor changes, Israeli sources said.
The sources said the Republican congressional majority would approve the aid within 3-6 months. After Israel’s Finance Ministry director general, Ohad Marani and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s bureau chief, Dov Weisglass submit the request, it will be handled by both Israeli and US officials, who will determine the duration of the grant and guarantees, and various technical details.
The guarantees will apparently be for five years but it is unclear how the “defense” aid will be laid out.
Sharon told “Defense” Minister Shaul Mofaz, during a meeting eight days ago with Finance Minister Silvan Shalom, that as soon as the US makes a positive decision on the “defense” grant, he will consent to some of Mofaz’s requests for budget increases.
Mofaz, who on Sunday declared that all understandings with the Palestine National Authority (PNA) were dead, led the reoccupation of PNA territories when he was the Isareli Chief of Staff and is now leading the escalating military aggression against the Palestinian people.
Sharon first raised the question of aid in his Washington meeting with Bush in mid-October. The formal request was completed by Marani’s staff in the past two weeks, with the explanation that Israel has increased military spending in the past two years because of the Palestinian uprising and the expected US war with Iraq.
Last week, Washington approved Israel’s annual military aid of $2.16 billion for 2004, and is expected to approve its civil aid soon.
The United States intends to provide Israel with $2.16 billion in foreign military assistance in fiscal year 2004, according to a media note released by the State Department on November 20.
“This assistance, which is subject to Congressional approval, is essential to preserving important security assistance programs to Israel. Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security John R. Bolton met November 13 with Ministry of Defense Director General Amos Yaron and reiterated our support for cooperative US-Israeli programs and our commitment to continue to seek funding for U.S. participation in selected joint research and development projects with Israel,” the release said.
The Joint Security Assistance Planning presentation allows the United States and Israel to review Israel’s requests for security assistance. This presentation coincides with the annual Joint Military Planning Group, which is co-chaired by the Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs and Israeli Ministry of Defense Director General, the release explained.
On Sunday the Israeli government announced that no strings would be attached to the US $14 billion aid package.
However, the US administration on Sunday said it does not recognize the understandings relating to so-called “natural growth” in the illegal Jewish settlements that were worked out between former foreign minister Shimon Peres and US Secretary of State, Colin Powell.
In a message conveyed to Tel Aviv at the weekend, a senior Bush administration official said that the understandings were "invalid," the Israeli Ha’aretz reported.
A response from Sharon’s bureau said that Israel was adamant about upholding the Peres-Powell understandings. "To the best of our knowledge, this is also the position of the White House," a statement from the bureau said.
The Peres-Powell understandings were reached in June 2001 after publication of the Mitchell Report, which called for a freeze on the settlements, including "natural growth."
According to the understandings, no new settlements would be established and no more land would be expropriated for building purposes. Construction would be frozen beyond the built-up areas of the settlements, but the freeze is contingent on implementing the remaining clauses in the Mitchell Report.
Israel has also made clear to the United States that construction will continue in the existing areas of the settlements so as to meet what it termed "the ongoing needs" of these illegal outposts, in keeping with the basic policy guidelines of the Sharon government.
In addition to the latest message from Washington regarding the understandings, the US has also made it clear to Israel that it intends moving forward with the ‘roadmap’ initiative for the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The US administration says the latest draft published last week is a "moving working paper" that has yet to be approved and it would be holding discussions with Israel before formulating another version of the plan.
According to the ‘roadmap’ initiative, the sides will declare a cease-fire and begin negotiations on the establishment of a Palestinian state in temporary borders by the end of 2003, with a view to a final and permanent settlement of the conflict by 2005.
The United States is opposed to a Russian proposal to seek the UN Security Council’s approval for the final version of the ‘roadmap’ plan, thus giving it binding international validity. Israel is adamantly opposed to the Russian suggestion.
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