Washington vows to continue military aid to Israel despite judicial overhaul disagreements
The US currently provides $3 billion annual military aid to support the Jewish state’s ability to defend itself
The U.S. State Department announced on Tuesday that the Biden administration will continue Washington’s military aid to the Jewish state, despite strong judicial overhaul disagreements with Israel's Netanyahu-led coalition government.
U.S. State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel stressed Washington’s commitment to Israel’s national security in the Middle East region.
“There is not going to be any cut or stoppage of military aid, and that is because our commitment to Israel and our commitment to Israel’s security is ironclad. Our decades-long partnership with Israel is ironclad,” stated Patel.
The United States currently provides Israel with over $3 billion in annual military aid to support the Jewish state’s ability to defend itself.
New York Times veteran columnist Thomas Friedman recently claimed the Biden administration would reassess the American-Israeli ties, given the tense ties with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's ruling coalition.
“I have no doubt that the U.S. president will arm the Israeli president with the message — out of sorrow, not anger — that when the interests and values of a U.S. government and an Israeli government diverge this much, a reassessment of the relationship is inevitable,” Friedman wrote just ahead of Israeli President Isaac Herzog's visit to Washington last week.
However, at the moment, it appears that U.S.-Israeli operational ties are 'business as usual' with continued strong military and intelligence relations. On the other hand, there is continued speculation concerning the personal relationship between U.S. President Joe Biden and Netanyahu.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre avoided commenting on whether there is trust between the incumbent American president and the Israeli prime minister.
“I’m not going to get into — into specifics about their relationship. I just laid out how long they’ve known each other. And, again, they have a candid conversation to discuss their shared interest as well as their concerns. And that will continue,” stated Jean-Pierre.
Less than two weeks ago, Biden reportedly invited Netanyahu to the United States after four months of disconnect between the two leaders over policy disagreements.
The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
