Netanyahu wins leadership race

[Disgruntled70sHab]

The timing of these stories might cause some countries to sit up straight. Netanyahu wins Israel's hardline Likud Party leadership:

Netanyahu sweeps Israel's Likud leadership race
Updated Tue. Aug. 14 2007 7:01 PM ET

Associated Press

JERUSALEM -- Benjamin Netanyahu swept the race to lead Israel's hardline Likud Party, a party official said, boosting his ambitions to reclaim the country's premiership.

Netanyahu, crowned in recent polls as the front-runner for Israel's top job, faced off against far-right West Bank settler Moshe Feiglin, who would bar Arabs from Israel's parliament and favors their emigration.

A partial tally gave Netanyahu 73 per cent of the vote to Feiglin's 22 per cent, party executive director Gad Arieli said. World Likud Party Chairman Danny Danon trailed with 4 per cent.

While a Netanyahu victory had been all but assured, a strong Feiglin showing could have shored up Israel's extreme right and hurt Netanyahu's efforts to rehabilitate Likud after it was trounced in elections last year.

A telegenic politician and avowed hawk, the M.I.T.-educated Netanyahu speaks flawless, American-accented English. He's tough on defense issues and hands-off on the economy, and in recent months has been trying to position himself somewhere in the political center.

The Link

Then I found this story:

U.S., Israel sign US$30 billion aid agreement

Updated Thu. Aug. 16 2007 6:20 AM ET

Associated Press

JERUSALEM -- The United States offered Israel on Thursday an unprecedented $30 billion military aid package, bolstering its closest Mideast ally.

The aid deal represents a 25 percent rise in U.S. military aid to Israel, from a current $2.4 billion each year to $3 billion a year over 10 years.

Nicholas Burns, the U.S. undersecretary of state for political affairs, and Israeli Foreign Minister Director-General Aharon Abramovitz signed the memorandum of understanding on the assistance at a ceremony in Jerusalem.

The package was meant in part to offset U.S. plans to offer Saudi Arabia advanced weapons and air systems that would greatly improve the Arab country's air force. Israel has said it has no opposition to the U.S. aid to Saudi Arabia.

Burns said regional threats to Israel -- Iran and the Hezbollah and Hamas militant groups -- also threaten the United States.

The link

Coincidence?

Cheers.

[CentreHice]

The US also gave packages to Egypt and Saudi Arabia (weren't most of the alleged 9-11 terrorists Saudis? )

"Hey boys....stay with us...we know things aren't going as easily as we had planned in your neck of the world.....so here's a little something for you."

Man, am I cynical this morning.....

[duster]

Well, there is a slight difference. The Saudis are paying cold hard cash for what they are getting. Egypt and Israel are getting a subsidy - in the latter's case, an increase in its usual stipend. The real winner here is the U.S. arms industry and to a lesser extent Israel's.

It surprises me a little that Jordan has been left out somehow. It is a so-called moderate front line state, if you will, and by far the poorest. Being adjacent to the West Bank, Iraq and Syria makes the country more vulnerable than most to refugees and extremism, if not political disruption. With its main trading partner Iraq in a state of chaos, the economic costs must be crippling.

[princelh]

Good move by the Israeli's. He is a no nonsense leader and won't back down from the Arab dogs, that want to destroy Israel.

[Manton]

Amen and mega dittos brother princelh. Let's hope the Israelis get rid of their weak leader and give Bibi a full mandate.

By the way, what the hell is that comment by MC Habber re Tony Snow?

Don't tell me he reads the Daily Kos? Tony is a decent and honourable human being and he certainly doesn't deserve the hateful mantra spewed by the commies at Daily Kos or by anyone on this site. However, I know full well what freedom of speech means!

[Cranky]

Right on cue.....but a couple of months late! LOL!

I like to hear the Iranian "president" plans to wipe out Israel with Bibi in power. Same goes for the Hezis.

[CentreHice]

manton said:

However, I know full well what freedom of speech means!

You sure do.....

[princelh]

habsaddict said:

Right on cue.....but a couple of months late! LOL!

I like to hear the Iranian "president" plans to wipe out Israel with Bibi in power. Same goes for the Hezis.

Iran's nuclear program may become past tense, if Netanyahu has his way. He has my support, if he eliminates Ringo Starr's Muslim half brother.

[duster]

If the Americans with over 150,000 soldiers next door in Iraq, three carrier battle groups in the Gulf, economic sanctions and UN backing can't make the Iranians stop their nuclear program, I doubt the Israelis can. If it would have been possible, you can be sure the Israelis would have done it already. They don't need Netanyahu for that.

Bibi's election may look good from anti-Iranian or anti-Hizbollah point of view. Presuming the U.S. increased aid package is the result of his winning the race, it also makes the arms industry happy and Bush happy. Perhaps the American taxpayers who hand out $4 billion a year total to Egypt and Israel to buy weapons are not so pleased. More weapons and a right wing government will only make more difficult any resolution of the Palestinian issue which made the whole place so volatile in the first place. Everyone is still threading water but in stormier seas, imo.

[Cranky]

duster said:

I

Palestinian issue which made the whole place so volatile in the first place. Everyone is still threading water but in stormier seas, imo.

Indeed the regions volatility has increased but it has nothing to do with the Palestinians. Hezis, Syrians, Hamas, regional nuclear prolifiration have one thihng in common....Iran.

As for the Americans, there is no stomach for another protracted war. What they are doing now is following the same course that Reagan did in the cold war. A constant, low level economic pressure against the government and at the same time not enraging the masses. This weapons "help" to Saudi and Iran serves to destabilize Iran. Iran spends an ever increasing mounds of money for weapons while the people starve. Same thing Reagan did with Russia. Eventually, there is a super-saturation point when the people are fed up with the government and are willing to risk their lives for change. Is this policy working? Right now,the mullahs are cracking down hard on dissent. That is the first indication that the policy is working. Of course, the more the mullahs crack down, the more they are hated by the Western looking younger generation. Eventually soemthing will give....just like Russia.