http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/14/world/middleeast/israel-benjamin-netanyahu-military-aid.html 2016-09-14 02:27:55 U.S. Finalizes Deal to Give Israel $38 Billion in Military Aid The agreement, which the allies plan to sign on Wednesday, represents a major American commitment to Israel’s security after years of fractious relations. === JERUSALEM — The United States has finalized a $38 billion package of military aid for The State Department scheduled a ceremony to formally announce the pact, which will be signed by Jacob Nagel, the acting national security adviser to Prime Minister The package represents a major commitment to Israel’s security in the waning months of Mr. Obama’s presidency after The package will provide an average of $3.8 billion a year over the next decade to Israel, already the largest recipient of American aid, including financing for missile defense systems that defend against rockets fired by groups like “The United States has invested significantly in many of Israel’s most effective defenses against terrorist threats,” Daniel B. Shapiro, the American ambassador to Israel, Looking ahead to the next decade, Mr. Netanyahu initially sought as much as $45 billion, but Mr. Obama refused to go that high. Money for missile defense is included in the package, and the two sides agreed not to seek additional funds from Congress over the next decade unless both agree, such as in case of a war. The new deal will also “The most important thing about this is the strategic message,” said Ilan Goldenberg, the director of the Middle East Security Program at the Center for a New American Security. “The fact that Obama and Netanyahu are able to get this done even when they don’t agree on a lot of things and they don’t have a very good personal relationship is a very strong signal that this is a vital alliance and each side recognizes it transcends politics and personalities.” Dennis Ross, a former Middle East adviser to Mr. Obama and other presidents, noted that the agreement follows one negotiated by George W. Bush. “If nothing else, it shows the basic American approach to Israel is, in fact, bipartisan,” said Mr. Ross, author of But the completion of the deal after nearly a year of discussions comes against the background of continuing friction between the two nations’ leaders. Just in recent days, the Obama administration publicly chastised the prime minister for The aid package hardly signals the end of such tension. Mr. Obama’s foreign policy team is debating whether he should make a final effort after the November election to The idea would be to break out of what American officials consider the trap of waiting for one or both of the parties to step forward. While Mr. Obama’s statement would hardly settle the issue, some advisers argue it might break the logjam or at least lay down a marker. Other advisers doubt it would be worth Mr. Obama’s political capital in the lame-duck period after the election and worry it would be unwelcome if Mr. Netanyahu strongly opposes such an American move, especially if it were made at the United Nations. His camp has expressed concern that once the aid agreement was finalized, Mr. Obama might feel emboldened to go ahead over Mr. Netanyahu’s objections because the president could argue he had already addressed Israel’s security needs. As a result, the finalization of the aid package may not leave either side feeling especially satisfied. “My take is, given the context, nobody feels like throwing a big party,” said Aaron David Miller, a longtime Middle East peace negotiator now at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Critics of Israel’s policy toward the Palestinians said the United States was effectively subsidizing operations it regularly criticized. “We are helping the Israelis sustain the costs of the occupation we claim is unsustainable,” said Yousef Munayyer, the executive director of the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, a group advocating Palestinian rights. “The whole policy is outdated,” he added. “It goes back to an era when there were major Arab-Israeli wars and when Israel was in a very different place economically. Those conditions no longer exist, even though the occupation does, and it is high time we address our complicity in it.” Mr. Obama, however, promised to bolster Israeli security last year when he sealed an international agreement with Iran intended to curb its Negotiations on a security package since then have progressed fitfully, but White House officials insisted the aid would underscore unparalleled American support for Israeli defenses. “Through word and deed, this administration has done more for Israel’s security than any other in U.S. history,”