By Matt Spetalnick and Patricia Zengerle7 hrs ago
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REUTERS/Gali Tibbon/Pool Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gestures as he opens the weekly cabinet meeting at
his Jerusalem officeThe United States and
Israel have agreed on a record $38 billion package of U.S. military aid and
will sign the new pact on Wednesday, enshrining defense funding for
Washington’s closest Middle East ally for the next decade, officials said.
The
deal will represent the biggest pledge of U.S. military assistance made to any
country but also involves major concessions granted by Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu, according to officials on both sides and U.S. congressional
aides.
Those
include Israel’s agreement not to seek additional funds from Congress beyond
what will be guaranteed annually in the new package, and to phase out a special
arrangement that has allowed Israel to spend part of its U.S. aid on its own
defense industry instead of on American-made weapons, the officials said.
