Israel Eyes up to $10 Billion in US Aid (History Repeats itself... another Rabin will elected)

Washington Post ^ | 7:30 pm 11/21/02 | Dan Perry - AP

[OReilly]

History Repeats Itself... 11 years later

The request for guarantees on foreign bank loans would be in addition to the $2.9 million in direct loans and grants that Israel receives annually from the United States, the official said...

Israel, which receives the largest U.S. aid package of any country, relies on the loan guarantees to borrow at lower interest rates.

...The United States guaranteed $10 billion in loans for Israel a decade ago to help it absorb immigrants from the former Soviet Union.

Angry over Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and Gaza, then-President George Bush(41) held up the guarantees until the hard-line Yitzhak Shamir was replaced as Israeli prime minister by more moderate Yitzhak Rabin, who signed an interim peace treaty with the Palestinian Liberation Organization.

[TopQuark]

No, just attracting public attention to bigoted statements. Given that you have not withdrawn it, I can say --- to your bigotry.

[hove]

I love Israel....but isn't it time we wean her??? C'mom Americans....Israel will be fine without its welfare payment. We are all just enabling. It's time to let the baby grow up.....

[OReilly]

It's time to let the baby grow up.....

Sine Die

[TopQuark]

We are all just enabling. It's time to let the baby grow up.....

The country is at war, even formally, with its neighbors. It provides all the courage and soldiers but clearly is incapable of producing the required amount of weapons to defend itself.

In the last ten years, it has absorbed an equivalent of 50M to 60M of American immigrants --- where would our economy be if we had to do that.

You are completely oblivious to these factors, and say that you love Israel?

[TopQuark]

I am probably confused about a lot of things We are close to an agreement here. However, I think that you came to a conclusion first and then selectively processed and retained facts to justify that conclusion. And you do not normally do that in other areas, unrelated to Jews. In other words, you have all the mental capacity to see but choose not to do so.

You do not have to support our foreign aid policy. You are of course free to dislike Jews -- hey, this is a great, free country! But this is a public forum with stated standards, and I request that you do not repeat anti-Semitic libels.

We've exchanged our views; that's where our roads part.

[meema]

Well said, hove. They will be even more proud of themselves when they stand on their own two feet. The sooner the better. In case no one's noticed, most of us are pretty tired of taking care of everybody .

[OReilly]

I am probably confused about a lot of things but the price we have paid for our support of Israel over the past fifty years is not one of them.

Most Americans are coming to their senses again... (and realizing that you are right) It has ebbed and flowed for 50 years, but it is heading south again. (witness the Cable News Ad that started out with, "Israel is our Only Ally in the Middle East."

[John Lenin]

Could you pick better timing ?

[hove]

"The country is at war, even formally, with its neighbors. It provides all the courage and soldiers but clearly is incapable of producing the required amount of weapons to defend itself."

Thanks to the years of gifts to the tune of billions of dollars, Israel has aquired enough weapons to obtain a massive military superiority in the region. The people of Israel are hard working and intelligent. They are at war. I'm sure they could mobilize a war economy. It's just so easy to be handed 10 billion dollars and then go shopping for more goodies. They don't need to be enabled. They need resolve. Resolve to win THEIR war. And that means building their own military. You sell the people of Israel short. Or maybe you have an interest in the American handouts.

Don't forget, Israel has America for an ally. If they need help, we will be there. But that doesn't mean we need to dump a truck load of American tax dollars in their laps every year.

[hove]

"Could you pick better timing ?

Please help me out.....I'm a bit slow on the uptake.

[John Lenin]

No wonder you said that. Forget it, if you don't get it.

[Willie Green]

sort of like Puerto Rico?

IMHO, the $10 billion would be better spent in Puerto Rico.
Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens.
Political ideologies aside, we have an obligation to see that Puerto Rico has a sound, economic infrastructure.
As a relatively small, island economy, there are some items that would be pretty easy to address. One would be to convert Puerto Rico's electricty generation away from fossil fuels to nuclear. Give 'em some solar and/or windmills as well to keep the enviros happy. Just wean 'em off dependence on imported fossil fuel.

Make sure water is not an issue. Give Puerto Rico first class water/sewage treatment systems and desalination plants for supply, if necessary. Clean water is an extremely important resource both on and surrounding and island.

Transportation? The island is really too small to need any kind of superhighway system. But I'm certain that a modern, efficient electric light-rail mass-transit system would improve mobility for both residents and tourists.

$10 billion? That oughta just about cover my ideas.
$10 billion would be quite helpful for Puerto Rico.

[OReilly]

oh wait, there isn't another one.

Did you write the ad copy for the Cable Ad, Israel Firsters have been running lately? First they said, "Israel, our only Ally in the Middle East". Then they said, "Israel, our only real Ally in the Middle East." Then they said, "Israel, our real Ally in the Middle East" What are you going to come up with next?

[bybybill]

It would be a hell of a lot cheaper if they were the 51st state.