Israel deepens dependence on US

PM Olmert welcomes a 'significant' boost in U.S. military aid, which supposedly is compensation for sale of US arms to Saudi Arabia:

 

Israeli officials have made specific requests aimed at eliminating concerns that satellite-guided bombs sold to the Saudis could be used against its territory, administration officials said.

 

Their major concern is ... the possibility that a rogue pilot armed with one of the bombs could attack on his own or that the Saudi government could one day be overthrown and the weapons could fall into the hands of a more radical regime, U.S. officials explained.

 

It is a good deal. They sell the satellite guided bombs to Saudi Arabia. In a year or two, Saudi Arabia is taken over by Wahhabi fanatics and then Israel will get the bombs delivered directly to Tel Aviv.  There is no guarantee against that.

 

Washington must be extremely satisfied that as a byproduct of this deal, they can promise Israel increased military aid, which will further increase Israel's dependence on the United States, and vulnerability to attacks by anti-Zionists. The latter never tire of pointing out that Israel is the largest US aid recipient.

 

Increasing Israeli dependence on the United States has been a policy goal of the United States since 1967, when the US government was appalled that Israel had won the Six Day War without American arms or help.

  

The Saudi package is going to be woth about $20 billion to the US. The increased aid  to Israel (not the total sum of US aid) will total only $7.5 billion over the next 10 years. The price of the Saudi arms package, and future packages, will no doubt help offset the cost of aid to Israel, and the whole deal will stimulate the US arms industry.

 

Of course, if those satellite guided bombs fall into the wrong hands, it could be very bad for U.S. interests as well as Israel, but nobody seems to be worried about that problem. The Saudi Army has mostly been used to fight Israel in the past. It is unlikely that they would ever fight another Islamic or Arab state.

 

If Al-Qaeda takes over Saudi Arabia, Americans may get to take delivery of the bombs.

 

Ami Isseroff

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