Biden arrives in Israel to discuss new military aid package
US Vice President Joe Biden has arrived in Tel Aviv to hold talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about a new military aid package.
Biden’s office last week announced the two-day trip, saying that he is also slated to meet Israeli President Reuven Rivlin and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Biden’s visit comes as the relationship between US President Barack Obama and Netanyahu took a new setback over the Israeli premier's decision not to accept an invitation for talks in Washington later this month.
Netanyahu cancelled the meeting with Obama, US National Security Counci spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement on Monday.
The White House had actually sent an invitation to Netanyahu two weeks ago for the meeting scheduled for March 18.
In January, Netanyahu told Washington that Tel Aviv needs more US military aid following the nuclear agreement between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries.
He stated that Washington and Tel Aviv are discussing details of a 10-year military aid package that will be larger than the $3.1 billion US package Israel received this year.
Under the existing agreement that was signed in 2007 and expires in 2017, annual military aid to Israel grew to more than $3 billion a year. That deal was negotiated during the George W. Bush administration.
Netanyahu says that Israel wants more money to counter threats that will arise as a result of the Iran nuclear agreement, which the Zionist regime has fiercely opposed.
Obama had reportedly agreed in principle with Netanyahu in one meeting to increase the aid package to between $4.2 billion and $4.5 billion.
The money is separate from the nearly $500 million in annual US funding for Israel’s missile system programs in recent years. It is also on top of the US warfighting material held in Israel, which is valued at $1.2 billion.
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