ohn Kerry offered yet another tough-love speech to Israel at the pro-Israel conference, the Saban Forum yesterday. He said that the United States gives Israel more than half of the aid that we give “the entire world,” and Israel simply ignores us when we warn it about new settlements.
Kerry: Every president, Republican and Democrat, has been opposed to settlements – we issue a warning today when we see a new settlement announced. Nothing happens. It’s ignored, a new settlement goes up. New units, new sales. So the issue —
Journalist Jeffrey Goldberg: You’re describing a situation in which you have zero leverage.
Kerry: I think we do – I think we do have leverage —
Goldberg: But they never listen to you.
Kerry: No, they don’t, and they haven’t listened on settlements, that’s correct.
Here’s how much money we give Israel to ignore us. Kerry again:
I’ve watched while we, the Obama Administration, have put $23.5 billion on the line for foreign military financing. More than 50 percent of the total that we give to the entire world has gone to Israel. We have just signed an agreement for $38 billion over 10 years, $3.8 billion a year, up from 3.1.
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