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Biden presses Netanyahu to close security aid deal within Obama's tenure

Xinhua, March 10, 2016 Adjust font size:

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden on Wednesday urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to close a ten-year security aid deal before U.S. President Barack Obama's tenure ends, according to the Israeli media.

Biden, who is on a two-day visit to Israel in order to finalize details of the deal, urged Netanyahu to sign a memorandum of understanding on a defense aid package of about 30 billion U.S. dollars for the coming decade, before Obama's tenure ends in January 2017, the Ha'aretz daily reported.

Biden's message was that waiting for the next U.S. president would not assure a better deal for Israel, and that U.S. defense officials believe the upcoming deal "addresses Israel's security needs" to their fullest, according to Israeli officials.

Sources said Biden realized the deal offered is below Israel's previous demands, as the U.S. government is facing budgetary issues.

Biden said the United States will allocate additional funds if needed, according to the Ynet news website.

The parties agreed to work together and narrow the gaps in further high-level meetings, as Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon is expected to visit Washington next week to meet with his U.S. counterpart Ashton Carter, Ha'aretz reported.

Earlier in February, Netanyahu said if the aid package won't address Israel's security needs as he sees fit, Israel would wait for the next U.S. president to take office, amid the looming elections in November.

Israel and the United States cooperate closely on security affairs. The two countries have recently conducted a joint military drill to test their defense capabilities against ballistic missiles, as Israel faces threats of ballistic missiles from Iran and its proxies in Syria and in Lebanon.

However, diplomatic contacts between the countries have been strained. The most recent clashes came as the White House expressed its "surprise" upon learning from media that Netanyahu would not be attending a meeting with Obama later this month.

Israel said the message was delivered to the White House over the weekend, and Netanyahu prefers not to go amid the early period of U.S. president racing.

Biden's visit, which started on Tuesday and is set to end on Thursday morning, was staged amid a wave of Israelis-Palestinians violence which started in October, 2015, and has continued to spread throughout the country.

The U.S. vice president did not come with any initiatives, but said physical force would not offer a solution to the wave of violence. Endit