If you read that statement as a response to my post.....even you will realize it's a dodge of the point I made.
What point was that, exactly?
You seem to be more impressed with the cleverness of your posts than they were worthy of......especially since you've now resorted to evidence of 'bragging' as opposed to empirical evidence of how much money in aid is being spent, when confronted by Israel's neighbor, Egypt, getting a comparable amount from us.....but I guess if you add enough smilies it'll APPEAR as though you have an argument.
Actually, no.
Israel receives more military aid from the U.S. than any other country in the world-note that I didn't say that the U.S. sells Israel more arms than any other country, I said that Israel receives more military aid. The bulk of the foreign aid we send to Israel is, in fact, in the form of armaments, or money to purchase them.This is unique, especially when one considers the GDP of Israel, it's per capita income, and exactly which products that Israel exports to the U.S.-in other words, when one considers the economic benefits the U.S. consumer sees from Israel......since, as Tez3 has posted, we're all about money here........:lol:
Another unique thing is that-well, take this year. When the budget is formulated and passed, whatever form it takes, it will contain military aid to Israel. No big deal: all foreign aid typically represents about 1% of the U.S. budget. Considered this way, even in the current economic climate, the massive amount of military aid the U.S. gives to Israel is a pittance. In any case, Israel typically receives all these funds within 30 days of the budget being set-another unique factor in this relationship. No other nation gets paid out their U.S. foreign aid in this manner.
And of course, there's the way the aid is structured: typically, Israel is committed to spending at least 50% of the money we give them on U.S. produced defense products. I say typically, because there are a bunch of loopholes now that defense contractors like Lockheed Martin (just as an example) have outsourced so much of their production. In any case, this constitutes a form of corporate welfare that is another unique factor in our relationship. As Tez3 pointed out, we are selling some $22-odd billion dollars worth of arms to Saudi Arabia, and, just as also pointed out, we sell arms to all kinds of people around the world, more than any one else. No where, though, not to Jordan, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Japan (there's another "interesting" story), do we actually give money to the country to buy stuff from us-except for Israel. In return, what we get is a form of corporate welfare-and we get our hardware field tested, sooner or later.....:lfao:
I don't think that Israel is a "unique evil" in the world. I don't even think that Israel is "evil," if such a thing as an entire country being evil is possible. Hell, I like Israel, most Israelis I've met, and I usually admire their country's gutsiness and determination in the face of all their neighbors unquestionably wanting them gone.
I just question the benefit of the U.S.'s unique relationship with them to the U.S.
sgtmac46 said:Let the STRAW GRASPING begin in the sad attempt to paint Israel as some unique evil in the world! :lfao:
sgtmac46 said:You might like the CLINTON ADMINISTRATION gave to the Chinese?
Now who's grasping at STRAWS? :lfao:
(think I'll come up with a Clinton Administration corollary to Godwin's law as well....:lfao That's not to say I'm discounting the validity of your accusation. Having been witness to the W-88 debacle, as well as some of the after effects of his transfer of technology licensing to the Department of Commerce, I could probably only agree with you-but it's hardly relevant.
Meanwhile, back on topic, in other, more relevant news:
Israeli troops, militants battle in Gaza suburb
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip – Israeli troops battled Palestinian gunmen in a suburb of Gaza City Sunday in one of the fiercest ground battles so far as Israel's military inched toward Gaza's population centers and residents braced for an expansion of the offensive.
The fighting in the Sheikh Ajleen neighborhood erupted before dawn and continued through the morning as Israeli infantrymen and tanks advanced toward Gaza City and its approximately 400,000 residents, Palestinian witnesses said. Hamas and the smaller militant group Islamic Jihad said they ambushed the Israelis, leading to some of the heaviest fighting since Israel sent ground forces into the coastal territory on Jan. 3.
And, in another bit of Middle Eastern insanity:
Iran disputes report on suicide volunteers
TEHRAN, Iran – Iranian officials on Saturday strongly disputed media reports that Iran's top leader Ayatollah Ali Khameini has banned volunteers from leaving the country to carry out suicide bombings against Israel and stressed that the supreme leader meant only that practical obstacles remained for such attackers to get to Gaza.
The officials said The Associated Press misinterpreted Khamenei's comments when he said Thursday that "our hands are tied in this arena." The AP also quoted Khamenei as saying that Iran would assist the militant group Hamas, which is fighting Israel, in other ways.
The Iranian officials said Khamenei's words should not have been interpreted as a ban on such volunteers, but meant that any Iranians would have great practical difficulty in reaching Gaza because of Israel's offensive. The report was used by some Arab television stations.
....just to point out one of the real "evils" of the region.....in keeping with the title of the thread, it seems to me that no one wants peace in the Holy Land.
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