Under a Trump administration, the level of strategic and tactical cooperation between the two countries will be of an unprecedented,” David Friedman says • Republican Senator Lindsey Graham vows to push Congress to increase U.S. defense aid to Israel.
By Erez Linn, News Agencies, ISRAEL HAYOM
An adviser with Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s campaign said Saturday that a Trump administration would work to increase defense aid to Israel beyond the most recent deal signed between Washington and Jerusalem.
Israel and the U.S. signed a landmark, $38 billion defense aid package Wednesday, giving Israel $3.8 billion a year between 2018 and 2028.
“Under a Trump administration, the level of strategic and tactical cooperation between the two countries will be of an unprecedented high level. The U.S. will not be limited in its support for Israel by the terms of the memorandum of understanding,” David Friedman, who advises the Republican nominee on U.S.-Israel affairs, told the Jewish Insider.
One of the restrictions imposed on Israel under the agreement is that it cannot approach Congress for additional funding, except in the event of a war.
Friedman said that while he has not spoken to Trump about the deal, “I believe that Mr. Trump would see the MOU as a first step, with much more that still needs to be done.”
On Friday, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham vowed to push Congress to increase U.S. defense aid to Israel.
The South Carolina senator called the agreement “absurd,” saying Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should not have agreed to the limitations imposed on Israel.
Criticizing the Obama administration, Graham said, “How do you construct an executive branch MOU that has the power to shut out Congress and the next president? I am going to push back. We will see what Netanyahu does.”
Graham added that Trump would “give you a better deal than this.” He also said he believed that Clinton — “I don’t know if she wins” — would be “more generous to Israel.”
The only thing I like about Graham is his staunch support for Israel. G-d bless him for that!
Perhaps Netanyahu knows something we don’t. As it stands I don’t like the deal. But deals in the past have been regularly broken. This one is no different.