Will Israel Manipulate Bush Even More?

   The Parts of the article that I am about to post says that Israel certainly will. Israel already thinks that Bush is the greatest thing to ever happen to them so why not go for some more goodies?

 

                                

 

Haaretz for the full article

In recent weeks there has been lively discussion in Jerusalem surrounding the question of where these special relations are headed, and whether it is a good idea to ask Bush for a farewell gift. Some believe that since Bush is the best thing to ever happen to Israel, it is important to exploit the remainder of his term to upgrade relations.

But what should be upgraded, and how, is up for debate. Yoram Ben-Zeev, the deputy director for North America at the Foreign Ministry, has led a series of discussions on the creation of a new umbrella agreement that would combine all the memoranda of understanding between the United States and Israel, give them new validity and highlight the special nature of the relations.
Former Foreign Ministry director general Ron Prosor offered a different approach. Instead of formulating a large agreement, it would be better if Bush gave a quiet order to the bureaucracy in Washington to support Israel on a number of sensitive issues. Prosor's approach is that at a time when U.S. opposition to military involvement in the Middle East is surging, Israel can show some consideration. Instead of asking for defense treaties, it should simply say: "Give us the tools and we'll do the work."
There are three Israeli upgrade requests in the pipeline, one of which concerns civilian cooperation in the nuclear file - now limited because of Israel's refusal to join the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT). The exemption India received from these restrictions has encouraged the Israel Atomic Energy Commission to try to obtain similar easements, even if they are limited. Other requests concerned access to advanced military technology for quality intelligence - a hint at a possible conflict with Iran.
Senior officials in the defense establishment believe that Israel should strive for the achievement of an increase in American military aid. The current agreement that defines American aid to Israel will expire next year, and with it the civilian economic aid will end as well. Israel wants another $50 million annually in the coming decade to be added to the sum it receives for military aid - which currently stands at $2.4 billion a year. The government has accepted this position and has decided that the increase in aid should be the main focus, that it would be better to put the other upgrade requests on a back burner for now.

 

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