Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu (L) and US President Donald Trump
A $38 billion military aid package to Israel, signed between former U.S. President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in September 2016, went into effect, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement on Monday.
This agreement means that the United States will give Israel $38 billion in military assistance over the next decade.
“The United States unconditionally affirms Israel's right to self-defense, and this MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) is a concrete demonstration of our commitment to Israel's capacity to defend itself with a qualitative military edge over all potential regional adversaries,” read the statement.
It is the largest aid package given to a foreign state in U.S history.
Ten-year period of “Memorandum of Understanding”
Praising the ten-year period of “Memorandum of Understanding (MOU),” Nauert underlined in a Twitter post that the Trump administration is also determined to maintain and enhance ties with Israel.
“Today, the ten-year period of the $38 billion MOU signed by the United States and Israel in 2016 begins. Our implementation of this historic MOU reflects the enduring and unshakable commitment of the President, this Administration, and the American people to Israel's security,” she said.
Today, the ten-year period of the $38 billion MOU signed by the United States and Israel in 2016 begins. Our implementation of this historic MOU reflects the enduring and unshakable commitment of the President, this Administration, and the American people to Israel's security. pic.twitter.com/U7DyFR5eUo
“Iran-backed terrorists threat Israel”
Stressing the strong relations between the U.S. and Israel, “Israel is a valuable and capable ally to the United States that today faces dangerously escalating regional threats, first and foremost from the Iranian regime's sponsorship of terrorist groups seeking to attack not only Israel but also American interests. Israel is also threatened by the reckless proliferation of destabilizing weapons systems into the region that increase the possibility of an escalated conflict in an already dangerous and volatile theater,” the statement added.
Palestinians staged a general strike in the West Bank and Gaza Strip on Monday in support of Israeli-Arabs protesting a controversial law recognizing Israel as the “nation-state” of the Jewish people.Businesses and schools closed doors across the occupied territories and Arab towns inside Israel."I can say that there is a complete commitment to the strike,” Arab member of Knesset (Israel’s parliament) Massoud Ghanayem told Anadolu Agency.The action was staged in support of Israeli-Arabs, who called the strike in protest of the “Nation-State” law, which was passed by Knesset in July.The legislation defines Israel as a Jewish state with a “united Jerusalem” as its capital. It has also promoted Hebrew as the only official language, stripping Arabic as an official language while recognizing its “special status”.The controversial law risks further alienating the Arab minority who argue they already face discrimination from Israeli Jews and the government and already feel as though they are second-class citizens."Palestinians throughout the occupied territories are taking part in the strike,” Ghanayem said. “This unity was necessary since the nation-state law targets all issues of the Palestinian people, whether refugees, their right to self-determination and presence of Arab citizens inside Israel,” he said.Palestinians, who have Israeli citizenship make up 21 percent of the population, are known as Israeli-Arabs and have members in the Knesset.Video: Palestinians, Israeli-Arabs protest ‘nation-state’ lawPalestinian youth injured in Israeli raid in West BankDiscriminationPalestinian group Hamas said the strike aims to highlight discrimination against the Palestinians living inside Israel.“Today’s strike aims to show solidarity with our people in the occupied territories, who are facing a wave of racial discrimination,” Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem told Anadolu Agency."[Nation-state] law is a serious legislation that paves the way for treating the Palestinians, who are the owners of this land, as strangers and deporting them,” he said.Talal Abu Zarifa, a member of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), said the general strike “aims to send a message to the world to put an end to this aggression”."This law, which seeks to strip all civil and social rights of all minorities in Israel, must be terminated," he said. “This legislation also undermines the right of the Palestinians to return [to their homes in historical Palestine].”Monday's strike coincides with the killing of 13 Israeli-Arabs by Israeli police at the start of the 2000 Palestinian intifada, triggered by a controversial visit by then opposition leader Ariel Sharon to East Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.For Muslims, Al-Aqsa represents the world's third holiest site. Jews, for their part, refer to the area as the "Temple Mount", claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.Jerusalem remains at the heart of the Middle East conflict, with Palestinians hoping that East Jerusalem -- occupied by Israel since 1967 -- might eventually serve as the capital of an independent Palestinian state.Iran refutes Israel’s secret nuclear site claims
Palestinians, Israeli-Arabs protest ‘nation-state’ law
A Palestinian youth was injured on Sunday in an Israeli raid in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, according to local residents.An Israeli force raided the town of Nahalin, west of Bethlehem, and searched several homes, triggering clashes with dozens of angry youths, the residents said.Israeli forces fired live ammunition, rubber bullets and tear gas canisters to disperse angry Palestinians, according to the same source.“A Palestinian youth was injured when he was shot in the chest,” a local resident told Anadolu Agency.The Palestinian Health Ministry has yet to confirm the injury.There was no comment from the Israeli military on the raid.Israel frequently conducts sweeping arrest campaigns across the occupied territories on the pretext of searching for “wanted” Palestinians.
Palestinian youth injured in Israeli raid in West Bank