| Author | Message | | Alpha | | Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2009 10:50 pm Post subject: CNI HEARING ON FOREIGN MILITARY AID |
| Fw: CNI HEARING ON FOREIGN MILITARY AID
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
WASHINGTON, DC APRIL 9, 2009 -On Tuesday April 7TH The Council for the National Interest hosted their 21st Capitol Hill hearing on the "Cost and Benefits of US-Military Aid to Seven Countries in the Middle East over the Past 30 Years." They also reviewed for the Capitol Hill audience a plan to give some $50 billion in additional aid to Israel and Egypt over the next ten years, and to arrange for the sale of an additional $20 billion in military weapons to Saudi Arabia.
Former Rep. Wayne Gilcrest (R-MD) spoke candidly about the influence lobby groups, especially AIPAC, have on military aid proposals to the Middle East
"Many Republicans wanted to pursue a policy of dialogue with Iran and a more objective policy between the Israelis and the Palestinians. But, they didn't want to go against either the administration, the lobby (AIPAC), or it was too hard to explain to their constituents back home"
Former Office of Management and Budget's Foreign Aid Branch Bureau Chief Colonel Harry Shaw, and Former Ambassador Ed Peck viewed the lack of control by the United States over military aid and called for a return to accountability.
Military and economic aid to Israel was of particular concern to the experts who questioned whether the US is enabling an expansion of settlements and inadvertently inhibiting the formation of a two state solution in Israel/Palestine.
CNI researchers predict that in the next ten years US taxpayers will in effect be contributing $200,000 for each new settler in West Bank and East Jerusalem. They predict that 150,000 such settlers will be positioned in the West Bank and will bring the total of Jewish colonist in the West Bank and East Jerusalem to more than 600,000. The speakers at the CNI public hearing questioned whether such an increase of settlers was in the interest of the United States or of Israel itself.
"We are enabling Israel to continue her settlement expansion and defeat any two state solutions with our huge military aid program. It is out of control," said CNI President Eugene Bird.
Israel continues to receive 100% of its military aid on October 1st of the fiscal year, and earns some $80 million in interest that is off the congressional budget.
Israel is the only country who has this special arrangement with the US Department of Treasury.
CNI is currently circulating an amendment on Capitol Hill that would call for US aid to Israel to be disbursed quarterly that would let tax payers off the hook for about $80 million a year.
New information obtained by Amnesty researchers this week confirmed a massive shipment of U.S. weapons was delivered to Israel on March 22nd.
This followed a report by Amnesty of human rights and international law violations by Israel during the invasion of Gaza. Amnesty is calling for a response to their report and an explanation of why the United States would re-supply Israel with about $500 million of weapons despite these violations or both international law and US agreements on the use of weaponry by Israel.
The United States is pursuing peace in the Middle East but is undermining its own efforts with a huge multi-billion program of supplying weaponry that is not needed to bring a real peace to the area.
To listen to Rep. Gilcrest's speech on military aid click link below
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzbh4_FBImw | |  | | | ©2002-2009 WarWithoutEnd.co.uk | 
