US

**DMX7** · 03-14-2016

Israel is looking to expand its annual aid package from $3.1 billion per year to $4 billion (after the ridiculous request for $5 billion was shot down).

Interesting, Netanyahu thinks waiting for the next president may be a good idea, but if that next president is Mr. Donald J. Trump, who is a nationalist, then I suspect that package may not be as generous. Thoughts?

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/14/op...ft-region&_r=0

The dispute over a White House meeting is the latest evidence of the fraught relationship between President Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel. It prompted finger-pointing on both sides, but the basic facts are these: Mr. Netanyahu asked to meet with Mr. Obama during a visit to Washington for a conference later this week, the White House agreed and then Mr. Netanyahu canceled.

That Mr. Netanyahu’s government announced this decision in the media rather than to the White House is not a surprise, considering the disrespect the prime minister has shown Mr. Obama in the past. It’s hard to understand how that serves Israel’s interests.

It’s unfortunate that this strange squabble is overshadowing two pressing issues. One involves the new 10-year defense agreement the two governments are negotiating, an anchor of their alliance. The existing agreement, which expires in 2018, provides $3.1 billion a year to Israel, , making it the top recipient of American aid. The even larger issue involves the slow but inexorable death of the two-state solution for peace with the Palestinians.

But the negotiations have run into problems. One reason Mr. Netanyahu reportedly canceled the meeting with Mr. Obama was that he did not want to visit the Oval Office without having first reached an agreement that he could boast about at home. He has reportedly asked for a big increase in American aid to more than $4 billion per year, which seems unreasonable. Mr. Netanyahu recently suggested that he may wait until next year to negotiate the package, presumably because he thinks he might strike a better deal with Mr. Obama’s successor.