US Vice President Joe Biden will be meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benajmin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv next week to discuss a new military deal.
Biden’s office announced the two-day trip on Wednesday, adding that he is also slated to meet Israeli President Reuven Rivlin and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Moreover, the VP would pay a visit to the city of al-Quds (Jerusalem) and the West Bank city of Ramallah in the occupied lands, as part of a broader Middle East tour that includes stops in the United Arab Emirates and Jordan.
On the top of Biden’s agenda is a new US-Israel deal that will replace the current military aid deal that is set to expire in 2018.
Despite Israel’s procurement of $6.2 billion in total annual aid from the US, the Tel Aviv regime is now seeking a new 10-year agreement worth $5 billion in annual military aid with Washington.
This is a significant increase from the $3.1 billion it has received yearly since a 2007 agreement with the George W. Bush administration.
US military assistance to Israel has amounted to $124.3 billion since it began in 1962, according to a recent congressional report.