US, Israel getting closer to new military aid deal despite tensions

The United States has signaled that it is moving toward a new military assistance deal with Israel, even as ties between US President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remain tense.

US Vice President Joe Biden, in Israel for a meeting with Netanyahu, said on Wednesday that Israel’s military superiority in the Middle East should be preserved in terms of the quantity as well as the quality of its weaponry.

“We’re committed to making sure that Israel can defend itself against all serious threats, maintain its qualitative edge with a quantity sufficient to maintain that,” Biden told reporters after meeting Netanyahu.

Israel’s “very, very tough neighborhood, a tough and changing neighborhood” necessitated such assistance, Biden said, adding that Obama had “done more to help bolster Israel’s security than any other administration in history”.

Washington and Tel Aviv are negotiating a new 10-year US military aid package to replace the…

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