Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today defended a new $38 billion US Defence aid package against criticism Israel could have negotiated a larger sum had he not angered the White House.
Speaking at the start of a cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said the deal was the “largest assistance agreement that the United States has ever provided to any country in its history”.
He said it “proves the depth of the relationship, and the strength of relations, between Israel and the United States.” Netanyahu hit back at political opponents who argue the country should have received a larger package in compensation for the new threats Israel says it faces due to the nuclear accord with its arch-foe Iran.
The Israeli premier was a strong opponent of the deal between Tehran and major powers led by Washington, and his campaign against it included an address to the US Congress in March last year.