In a development that has flown well under the radar in the US MSM, Bank of Israel Director Stanley Fischer is heading a delegation to the US that is lobbying Congress and BushCo to increase the $2.4B in military aid scheduled to cover costs from the Lebanon War.
In plainer terms, US taxpayers are being asked to cover the costs of destroying the infrastructure of an emerging democracy in an ill-advised war over a couple of siezed soldiers, whose negotiated release was requested by the kidnappers and refused by Israel before the bombing ever started.
Lebanon paid dearly, in lives and treasure, as it's infrastructure was intentionally destroyed to "...turn Lebanon's clock back 20 years." in the words of Dan Halutz, the IDF Chief of Staff at the time. More over the leap...
From Haaretz:
Israel to ask U.S. for more military aid
Israel will ask the U.S. government to significantly increase its military assistance to the country as part of a new multi-year aid agreement.
A high-level Israeli economic delegation led by Bank of Israel Governor Stanley Fischer and Finance Ministry Director General Yarom Ariav will meet with an American team in Washington this week.
<snip>
The level of aid to be requested was to be set at the meeting, but Washington asked Israel last week not to ask for a specific amount at this stage, but rather present its needs in principle.
The actual numbers will be raised in negotiations in the upcoming months.
So the current aid level of $2.4B is expected to be raised significantly, how much is not known yet. Why?
From AFP via Yahoo News:
Israel negotiates new US military aid deal
JERUSALEM (AFP) - An Israeli delegation has left for the United States to negotiate a new aid deal from the Jewish state's main ally and donor, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's spokeswoman said Monday.
"A delegation headed by Bank of Israel chief Stanley Fischer left Tel Aviv overnight for Washington to negotiate a new deal to fix the amount of annual military aid from the United States for Israel for the next decade," Miri Eisin told AFP.
Israeli officials are also hoping for extra aid to compensate for the cost of last summer's 34-day Lebanon war and the withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in August-September 2005, she said.
So Israel wants the US taxpayer to help pay for over a month of bombing of Lebanon, including three days of cluster bombing right at the end?
We get more details from the Jerusalem Post:
Blue-ribbon panel heads for US to negotiate 'responsible' new aid package
Bank of Israel Governor Stanley Fischer will head a high-level Israeli delegation to Washington this week for talks on the future of American aid, with his presence aimed at sending a message of "fiscal responsibility," government officials said Sunday.
The team left Sunday night and will discuss terms of a new multiyear US aid package that is expected - in addition to the annual military assistance - to also include loan guarantee requests for development of the Negev and Galilee.
<snip>
At this time, the officials said, it was unlikely that Israel would ask for additional aid because of last summer's war in Lebanon. They also said it was not clear how much would be asked for new loan guarantees.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert met with the delegation on Sunday. In addition to Fischer, the delegation also includes Finance Ministry director-general Yarom Ariav, Foreign Ministry director-general Aharon Abramovitch, National Security Council head Ilan Mizrahi, IDF Planning Directorate head Maj.-Gen. Ido Nehushtan and Ambassador to the US Sallai Meridor.
One official said having Fischer head the delegation was wise since it "broadcasts the idea that the requests are coming under the umbrella of fiscal responsibility."
So this "responsible" package of military aid, of an undertermined amount, is also expected to fund development of land? And a nameless official contradicts the PM's spokeswoman on the issue of aid to cover the costs of the Lebanon Fiasco.
How much are we talking? A minimum of $2.4 billion per year, the current level.
Several of these articles claim that every one of those dollars are spent in the US, but then there are claim of development money for land in Israel. Does anyone really track where the money goes? I can't find anyone who does.
All I know is I feel like I'm being bent over and told to shut up and enjoy it. By Joementum wielding a corncob.
And I don't like it.
Especially when my tax dollars are being used to kill innocents, to destroy their electricity and water supplies, their bridges, their airports. To pollute their shorelines with oil.
I don't like it any more in Lebanon or the Palestinian Occupied Territories than I do in Iraq or Iran.
And I really wish I could find a presidential candidate who would stand up on this issue instead of falling in line with AIPAC.