US/World News

White House national security team to visit Israel

WASHINGTON (JTA) — Members of the Obama administration’s national security team will travel to Israel this week to advance talks on a new U.S. defense assistance package to the country, a senior administration official confirmed last week in an e-mail to JTA. Israel and the United States are negotiating a memorandum of understanding that would extend for another 10 years the current aid package, due to expire in 2018 and which averages $3 billion a year in assistance. Israel reportedly hopes to increase the annual amount to $5 billion, while Obama administration officials are said to be offering closer to $4 billion. The negotiations come as President Barack Obama has pledged to maintain a robust defense relationship with Israel in the wake of a nuclear deal between Iran and six major powers that Israel had adamantly opposed. The official said the deal had yet to be finalized.

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