Slaughterer israel ‘constant danger of expanded war’: Ralph Schoenman

The recent military deal between the US and Israel shows why Tel Aviv is “an impediment” to the region and a “constant danger of expanded war,” an expert says.

The deal “emphasizes why the Zionist state is an impediment to the aspirations of all of people in the region and a constant danger of expanded war,” Ralph Schoenman, author of “Hidden History of Zionism,” told Press TV in a phone interview on Wednesday.

The United States and Israel signed an agreement under which $429 million of American taxpayers’ money “will be transferred immediately to Israel” to fund its Iron Dome missile system.

The Pentagon says the agreement was signed last week in a bid to “continue support of the production of the Iron Dome weapon system” and provide opportunities for US industry to “receive meaningful co-production opportunities for Iron Dome components.”

“Israel is receiving multi billions of dollars from the United States annually and under an existing 10-year agreement the 30-billion dollars of American money will flow in addition to Israel,” Schoenman said.

Under an existing 10-year aid agreement between Washington and Tel Aviv signed in 2007, $30 billion of American taxpayers’ money is flowing to Israel.

“One of the interesting components of this current agreement is that huge cash infusion from the US military industrial complex to the Zionist state includes specific requirements for US and Pentagon manufacturers of these systems within the country,” according to Schoenman.

“That means huge profiteering for the big military production facilities of the Pentagon and the kick backs to the officials involved. These billion-dollar programs are actually a subsidy for the military industrial complex in the United States even as they prepare for further expansion of Israeli military aggression in the region,” he added.

In March, the House of Representatives also passed a bill which named Israel a “major strategic partner” of the US and called for the expansion of Washington’s military ties with Tel Aviv.

The legislation calls for expanding the delivery of US arms and military technologies to Israel and commits US Congress to increase funding for Israel’s Iron Dome missile system.

“This is on top of the 3 to 4 billion dollars that the Israelis receive automatically from the United States annually and that is supplemented by loans that are never paid back and the depositing of funds in the part of American states in Israeli banks,” he said.

The US annual military aid to Israel has been elevated from $2.4 billion to $3.1 billion through 2017 under the existing agreement.