Israel PM Defends U.S. Aid Package in Face of Criticism

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday defended a new $38 billion U.S. defense 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 U.S. Congress in March last year.

President Barack Obama's administration was angered by the address, which it saw as interference in the country's internal affairs by a foreign leader.

For Netanyahu's critics, he should have moved on from his campaign against the accord sooner and quickly begun negotiations on the new decade-long defense aid package.

Former prime minister Ehud Barak was among those criticizing Netanyahu, saying his "reckless conduct has... undermined Israel's security." 

"Israel will receive $3.8 billion a year -- an important contribution to our security but far less than what could have been obtained before the prime minister chose to blatantly interfere with U.S. politics," Barak wrote in a Washington Post opinion piece.

Labor opposition lawmaker Shelly Yachimovich said that "Netanyahu himself told heads of the security establishment to count on $5-6 billion a year, of which $3.8 (billion) are left." 

"This is a result of arrogant conduct, failing to read the map, and campaign considerations," she wrote on Twitter.

On Sunday, Netanyahu said "I would like to make it clear: we were never offered more.

"We were not offered more money, not even one dollar, and we were never offered special technologies. These are distortions and fabrications of interested parties."

He said such comments also showed "ingratitude to our greatest and best friend, the United States."

The United States and Israel signed the deal in Washington on Wednesday.

It covers the period from 2019 to 2028 and will see Israel receive $3.3 billion per year in foreign military financing -- up from $3.1 billion currently -- and $500,000 in funding for missile defense.

Officials from both sides have been keen to stress the enduring bond between the two countries and the central role the military alliance plays in securing the Israeli people in an unstable Middle East region.

Obama and Netanyahu have had tense relations, but the two men were determined to put their differences aside and finalize the aid package.

Israel relies heavily on U.S. defense aid. Its total defense budget amounts to some $16 billion, excluding the U.S. aid.