Palestinians Lose In US Military Aid Deal With Israel
19 September 2016
By Jonathan Cook
The announcement last week by the United States of the largest military aid
package in its history – to Israel – was a win for both sides.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu could boast that his lobbying had
boosted aid from $3.1 billion a year to $3.8bn – a 22 per cent increase – for
a decade starting in 2019.
Mr Netanyahu has presented this as a rebuff to those who accuse him of
jeopardising Israeli security interests with his governments repeated
affronts to the White House.
In the past weeks alone, defence minister Avigdor Lieberman has compared last
years nuclear deal between Washington and Iran with the 1938 Munich pact,
which bolstered Hitler; and Mr Netanyahu has implied that US opposition to
settlement expansion is the same as support for the ''ethnic cleansing'' of
Jews.
American president Barack Obama, meanwhile, hopes to stifle his own critics
who insinuate that he is anti-Israel. The deal should serve as a fillip too
for Hillary Clinton, the Democratic partys candidate to succeed Mr Obama in
Novembers election.
In reality, however, the Obama administration has quietly punished Mr
Netanyahu for his misbehaviour. Israeli expectations of a $4.5bn-a-year deal
were whittled down after Mr Netanyahu stalled negotiations last year as he
sought to recruit Congress to his battle against the Iran deal.
In fact, Israel already receives roughly $3.8bn – if Congresss assistance on
developing missile defence programmes is factored in. Notably, Israel has been
forced to promise not to approach Congress for extra funds.
The deal takes into account neither inflation nor the dollars depreciation
against the shekel.
A bigger blow still is the White Houses demand to phase out a special
exemption that allowed Israel to spend nearly 40 per cent of aid locally on
weapon and fuel purchases. Israel will soon have to buy all its armaments from
the US, ending what amounted to a subsidy to its own arms industry.
Nonetheless, Washingtons renewed military largesse – in the face of almost
continual insults – inevitably fuels claims that the Israeli tail is wagging
the US dog. Even The New York Times has described the aid package as ''too
big''.
Since the 1973 war, Israel has received at least $100bn in military aid, with
more assistance hidden from view. Back in the 1970s, Washington paid half of
Israels military budget. Today it still foots a fifth of the bill, despite
Israels economic success.
But the US expects a return on its massive investment. As the late Israeli
politician-general Ariel Sharon once observed, Israel has been a US ''aircraft
carrier'' in the Middle East, acting as the regional bully and carrying out
operations that benefit Washington.
Almost no one blames the US for Israeli attacks that wiped out Iraqs and
Syrias nuclear programmes. A nuclear-armed Iraq or Syria would have deterred
later US-backed moves at regime overthrow, as well as countering the strategic
advantage Israel derives from its own nuclear arsenal.
In addition, Israels US-sponsored military prowess is a triple boon to the US
weapons industry, the countrys most powerful lobby. Public funds are siphoned
off to let Israel buy goodies from American arms makers. That, in turn, serves
as a shop window for other customers and spurs an endless and lucrative game
of catch-up in the rest of the Middle East.
The first F-35 fighter jets to arrive in Israel in December – their various
components produced in 46 US states – will increase the clamour for the
cutting-edge warplane.
Israel is also a ''front-line laboratory'', as former Israeli army negotiator
Eival Gilady admitted at the weekend, that develops and field-tests new
technology Washington can later use itself.
The US is planning to buy back the missile interception system Iron Dome –
which neutralises battlefield threats of retaliation – it largely paid for.
Israel works closely too with the US in developing cyberwarfare, such as the
Stuxnet worm that damaged Irans civilian nuclear programme.
But the clearest message from Israels new aid package is one delivered to the
Palestinians: Washington sees no pressing strategic interest in ending the
occupation. It stood up to Mr Netanyahu over the Iran deal but will not risk a
damaging clash over Palestinian statehood.
Some believe that Mr Obama signed the aid package to win the credibility
necessary to overcome his domestic Israel lobby and pull a rabbit from the
hat: an initiative, unveiled shortly before he leaves office, that corners Mr
Netanyahu into making peace.
Hopes have been raised by an expected meeting at the United Nations in New
York on Wednesday. But their first talks in 10 months are planned only to
demonstrate unity to confound critics of the aid deal.
If Mr Obama really wanted to pressure Mr Netanyahu, he would have used the aid
agreement as leverage. Now Mr Netanyahu need not fear US financial
retaliation, even as he intensifies effective annexation of the West Bank.
Mr Netanyahu has drawn the right lesson from the aid deal – he can act against
the Palestinians with continuing US impunity.
Jonathan Cook won the Martha Gellhorn Special Prize for Journalism. His
latest books are ''Israel and the Clash of Civilisations: Iraq, Iran and the
Plan to Remake the Middle East'' (Pluto Press) and ''Disappearing Palestine:
Israel's Experiments in Human Despair'' (Zed Books). His website is
www.jonathan-cook.net.
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