U.S. army chief stresses importance of alliance with Israel amid regional instability
Xinhua, March 4, 2016 Adjust font size:
U.S. Chairman of Joint Chief of Staff Joseph Dunford said during a visit to Israel on Thursday that strong alliance between the two countries is necessary amid the instability in the Middle East.
Staff-General Joseph Dunford made the comments during a meeting with Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon in the latter's Tel Aviv office, according to a statement from the defense ministry.
The two discussed "strengthening defense and military ties" in the meeting, according to the statement.
"This is a challenging time, but what gives me confidence that we can deal with these challenges is that we have an ally and a partner," Dunford said, stressing the close security contacts between the countries.
The Israeli minister said he appreciates the strong military and intelligence cooperation between the two countries, and called the United States Israel's "strongest ally."
Ya'alon acknowledged the "chaos and instability" in the Middle East and reiterated Dunford's words, saying the two countries must deal with challenges in the region together.
Israel is the top recipient of financial military aid from the United States, receiving around three billion U.S. dollars on an annual basis.
The two also cooperate on developing defense system, like the Iron Dome anti-missile battery and the Arrows interceptor missiles.
The two countries are at the final steps of sealing a deal of a 10-year military aid package, Ya'alon said earlier this week, according to reports on Israeli media.
The U.S. military official arrived early Thursday for his second visit to Israel since taking office.
The high-level meeting and visit take place shortly after a joint exercise between the two military took place in Israel.
The drill, codenamed Juniper Cobra 16, started on Feb. 21 and practiced the military defense capabilities against ballistic missiles.
It was the eighth in a series of biennial exercise held between the two countries, dating back to 2001, according to the Israeli military.
On a related matter, the United States Vice President Joe Biden is slated to visit Israel and the West Bank next week, according to a statement by the White House.
The trip comes amid a wave of violence between Israelis and Palestinians, which claimed the lives of 28 Israelis and more than 170 Palestinians since early October, and as the international community attempts to restart peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
Whereas both Israel and the U.S. officials stress the strong security-related cooperation, diplomatic relations have been strained in recent years.
Most of the tensions have surrounded the different approaches towards the nuclear deal signed by world powers and Iran, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vocally objecting to the agreement, calling it a "historic mistake," but the U.S. stood by the agreement.
The U.S. government had also recently deplored Israel for its policies towards Palestinians in the occupied territories in the West Bank, as well as a wave of right-wing legislation against left-wing organizations. Endit