Future of US military aid to Israel unclear, says top US expert
Israel’s former deputy national security advisor, Chuck Freilich, spoke on Radio 103FM and warned against the consequences of the current rift between the governments due to the judicial overhaul led by Netanyahu
Mandi Kogosowski
| 29/03/2023
Biden (as US VP) and Netanyahu in Jerusalem, 2016. Photo: REUTERS/Debbie Hill / Pool TPX
A senior Israeli defense says that the current crisis with the US – which has been unfolding over the Israeli government’s plans for a judicial overhaul – is unprecedented, and is warning of dire consequences – which might have an immediate effect on Israel’s security.
״We’re currently living in this great world, in which the Americans ‘owe’ us four billion dollars a year – and that’s forever. But that’s not the case!” said Chuck Freilich, Israel’s former deputy national security advisor, and a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies, referring to the annual US foreign aid to Israel.
The US is currently committed to a 10-year, $38 billion military aid deal, which covers fiscal years 2019-2028. “The chances that we will get another 10-year aid package are very unclear, and this should be a cause of great concern for all of us," said Freilich, a US native, who spoke earlier this morning on Israel’s 103FM radio with journalists Ben Caspit and Yinon Magal.
“Israel’s dependence on the US is existential, there is no alternative,” he said.
Yesterday, US President Joe Biden referred to the ongoing crisis in Israel in unprecedented harsh terms.
“Like many strong supporters of Israel, I’m very concerned. And I’m concerned that they get this straight. They cannot continue down this road,” said the president, replying to a journalist who asked how concerned he is “about the health of democracy in Israel.”
“And I’ve sort of made that clear. Hopefully, hopefully, the prime minister will act in a way that he is going to try to work out some genuine compromise. But that remains to be seen,” added the President. When asked whether he is planning to invite Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to the White House, the president replied “not in the near term.”
Netanyahu won the election on November 1st and formed a government in early January, almost three months ago. This decline to invite the leader of one of America’s strongest allies to Washington is a major diplomatic slap on the face.
Netanyahu’s office was quick to issue a reply to the press, stating that “The alliance between Israel and the United States is unbreakable and always overcomes the occasional disagreements between us. My administration is committed to strengthening democracy by restoring the proper balance between the three branches of government. Israel is a sovereign country which makes its decisions by the will of its people and not based on pressures from abroad, including from the best of friends."
“The prime minister says that Israel is a sovereign state that makes its decision according to the will of the people. Does the prime minister intend on giving four billion dollars a year as aid to the US? Do activate the US veto?” asked Freilich rhetorically.
“Whoever thinks that we’re a country that makes its own decisions – this isn’t true. And I suggest fortifying the relations with the US and treating them with the utmost respect. The IDF would be a rusty tool without the US,” Frelich went on. “One that things that Israel can operate without the US veto (in the UN) is ruining our security.”
Fanning the flames are members of Netanyahu’s Likkud party. Sports Minister Mickey Zohar, known for his loud and boisterous style, tweeted that Biden is the victim of “fake news” – as if the president of the most powerful nation in the world gets his info from social media or even the regular press. He later deleted the tweet.
Netanyahu’s son, Yair, has also been spreading insidious remarks on social media and on right-wing outlets, baselessly claiming that the US has been funding the protests of the past three months, in which hundreds of thousands have taken to the streets to fight for the nation’s democracy.
This morning, Netanyahu reportedly ordered his coalition members to refrain from referring to Biden’s comments.
Israel’s former deputy national security advisor, Chuck Freilich, spoke on Radio 103FM and warned against the consequences of the current rift between the governments due to the judicial overhaul led by Netanyahu
Biden (as US VP) and Netanyahu in Jerusalem, 2016. Photo: REUTERS/Debbie Hill / Pool TPX
A senior Israeli defense says that the current crisis with the US – which has been unfolding over the Israeli government’s plans for a judicial overhaul – is unprecedented, and is warning of dire consequences – which might have an immediate effect on Israel’s security.
״We’re currently living in this great world, in which the Americans ‘owe’ us four billion dollars a year – and that’s forever. But that’s not the case!” said Chuck Freilich, Israel’s former deputy national security advisor, and a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies, referring to the annual US foreign aid to Israel.
The US is currently committed to a 10-year, $38 billion military aid deal, which covers fiscal years 2019-2028. “The chances that we will get another 10-year aid package are very unclear, and this should be a cause of great concern for all of us," said Freilich, a US native, who spoke earlier this morning on Israel’s 103FM radio with journalists Ben Caspit and Yinon Magal.
“Israel’s dependence on the US is existential, there is no alternative,” he said.
Yesterday, US President Joe Biden referred to the ongoing crisis in Israel in unprecedented harsh terms.
“Like many strong supporters of Israel, I’m very concerned. And I’m concerned that they get this straight. They cannot continue down this road,” said the president, replying to a journalist who asked how concerned he is “about the health of democracy in Israel.”
“And I’ve sort of made that clear. Hopefully, hopefully, the prime minister will act in a way that he is going to try to work out some genuine compromise. But that remains to be seen,” added the President. When asked whether he is planning to invite Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to the White House, the president replied “not in the near term.”
Netanyahu won the election on November 1st and formed a government in early January, almost three months ago. This decline to invite the leader of one of America’s strongest allies to Washington is a major diplomatic slap on the face.
Netanyahu’s office was quick to issue a reply to the press, stating that “The alliance between Israel and the United States is unbreakable and always overcomes the occasional disagreements between us. My administration is committed to strengthening democracy by restoring the proper balance between the three branches of government. Israel is a sovereign country which makes its decisions by the will of its people and not based on pressures from abroad, including from the best of friends."
“The prime minister says that Israel is a sovereign state that makes its decision according to the will of the people. Does the prime minister intend on giving four billion dollars a year as aid to the US? Do activate the US veto?” asked Freilich rhetorically.
“Whoever thinks that we’re a country that makes its own decisions – this isn’t true. And I suggest fortifying the relations with the US and treating them with the utmost respect. The IDF would be a rusty tool without the US,” Frelich went on. “One that things that Israel can operate without the US veto (in the UN) is ruining our security.”
Fanning the flames are members of Netanyahu’s Likkud party. Sports Minister Mickey Zohar, known for his loud and boisterous style, tweeted that Biden is the victim of “fake news” – as if the president of the most powerful nation in the world gets his info from social media or even the regular press. He later deleted the tweet.
Netanyahu’s son, Yair, has also been spreading insidious remarks on social media and on right-wing outlets, baselessly claiming that the US has been funding the protests of the past three months, in which hundreds of thousands have taken to the streets to fight for the nation’s democracy.
This morning, Netanyahu reportedly ordered his coalition members to refrain from referring to Biden’s comments.
