TEL AVIV — The Bush administration has unofficially blocked arms and technology transfers to Israel.Israeli and U.S. sources said the State Department action over the past three months reflects deteriorating relations between the two countries since the end of the war in Lebanon in August 2006.
"Nobody will say openly that there is a problem," a government source said. "But there is a serious problem that reflects the marginalization of Israel in U.S. strategy."
The unofficial suspension of U.S. arms deliveries began in late September, the source said. The suspension halted the airlift of air-to-ground and other munitions conducted during and immediately after the Israeli war with Hizbullah.
"Several weeks after the war, the U.S. supplies stopped," the source said. "There was no real explanation."
The source said the administration held up a list of weapons requested by Israel after the Lebanon war. He said the weapons and equipment — including the Joint Direct Attack Munition, or JDAM — were meant to replenish munitions and other stocks in preparation for a larger war that would include Syria in mid-2007.
"The administration has not rejected any Israeli request," a U.S. official said. "Instead, the State Department and Defense Department have said that all requests must be examined."
Of course we may need to stockpile our own production for future plans....like Iran, however, Israel should be alarmed. Never the less, while almost all our strategic goals parallel Israel's they are not all one and the same.
If Bush is doing this, one can only wonder why he didn't hold top American civilians and generals as accountable for their blunders and poor strategy in Iraq.
Continue reading "US bars weapons to Israel over Hizbo war stupidities- Olmert a disaster - DUH" »