Israel & NATO Funding Exempt from Trump International Spending Cuts

[TheCount]

President Trump's proposed budget plan would maintain current U.S. foreign aid to Israel, while assistance to other countries is being evaluated, the State Department said Friday.


"Our assistance to Israel is, if I could say, a cutout on the budget, and that’s guaranteed, and that reflects, obviously, our strong commitment to one of our strongest partners and allies," State Department spokesman Mark Toner told reporters.


"With respect to other assistance levels, foreign military assistance levels, those are still being evaluated and decisions are going to be made going forward," he added.

http://thehill.com/policy/internatio...mp-budget-plan

The proposed U.N. cuts, which were drafted by the White House Office of Budget and Management, show that the Trump administration is seeking far deeper cuts to the U.N. in the international affairs budget than to the State Department or USAID. Last week, the White House released a preliminary budget projection — known as the skinny budget — that called for cuts of 28 percent to international organizations in the 2018 budget.


But big chunks of that outlay — including $3.1 billion in security assistance to Israel — are to be spared, and the White House has informed State Department officials that funding to NATO will also be left off the chopping block. That means the U.N. and other international organizations will have to absorb a far higher share of cuts. And programs that combat climate change or provide reproductive health services are likely to be cut altogether.

http://foreignpolicy.com/2017/03/23/...-peacekeeping/

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If he really did that, that should make ADL happy:

ADL urges Trump to drop 'America First' slogan





But is there a nepotism problem with Kushner role? If so, President Trump should address such probems quickly before they get festered too deep into policy. There is NYT reporting involved, so there is potential for news fakery here but if confirmed this should be addressed carefully.



Kushner's Close Ties to Israel Raise Questions of Bias in Mideast Peace Efforts

Trump son-in-law's ties, including a previously undisclosed real estate deal with a major Israeli insurer, may compromise his ability to serve as an honest broker between Israel and the Palestinians.
The Associated Press
Mar 25, 2017 2:51 PM




Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump in the White House, Washington, March 17, 2017. JIM_BOURG/REUTERS

• From sleepovers to speaking fees: NYT profile reveals Netanyahu's close ties to the Kushners
• Kushner foundation donated to West Bank settlement projects
• Trump to Kushner: If you can't produce Middle East peace, nobody can

Jared Kushner, U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, has deep business and personal ties to Israel that could raise questions about his ability to serve as an honest broker as he oversees the White House's Mideast peace efforts.
But some say these ties, which include a previously undisclosed real estate deal in New Jersey with a major Israeli insurer, may give Kushner a surprising advantage as he is expected to launch the first peace talks of the Trump era. Having the trust of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the thinking goes, could make Kushner well positioned to extract concessions from the hard-line Israeli leader.
Kushner's family real estate company has longstanding and ongoing deals with major Israeli financial institutions. These relationships, along with a personal friendship with Netanyahu and past links to the West Bank settler movement, could emerge as potential stumbling blocks by creating an appearance of bias.

http://www.haaretz.com/us-news/1.779390







Related


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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHel...VwYbu6X-cQuvMM


Billboards calling for cutting aid to Israel springing up across Montana




US taxpayers paid more to Israeli military budget than Israelis

Caution graphic language: Pro-Netanyahu young American Jews used racial slurs against Obama in Israel
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=b62_1...293&comments=1

Audio of Hillary Proposing Palestinian Election Rigging

US Sanctions on Russia Aimed at Challenging Trump on Palestine-Israel Settlement

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https://twitter.com/TEN_GOP/status/831926262486728704

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Should this be seen as nothing more than token of appreciation for his loyal lawyer:


http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.759738

Trump Donated $10,000 to West Bank Settlement

Settlement leader says Trump's donation to Beit El was made in honor of David Friedman, Trump's pick for U.S. ambassador to Israel. Jared Kushner's parents also served on founding board of the settlement, Haaretz has learned.

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Israeli lobbies are unhappy with foreign spending cuts even if Israel's aid is not cut.
Apparently cutting foreign aid to dictatorships in Egypt, Jordan etc would also increase risks for Israel.

Jewish groups, pols say Trump budget is bad for Israel and other US interests

Rep. Eliot Engel of New York speaking at a news conference held by Democrats on the House Foreign Affairs Committee criticizing the Trump administration’s proposed cuts to foreign spending, March 16, 2017. Engel is joined by Reps. Albio Sires, left, of New Jersey, and William Keating of Massachusetts. (HFAC-Democrats)

WASHINGTON (JTA) – Citing the importance to Israel of a robust U.S. posture abroad, Jewish groups decried drastic proposed cuts in foreign assistance funding in President Donald Trump’s budget despite assurances that aid to Israel would be unaffected.
Israel’s guaranteed $3.1 billion defense assistance next year is a “cutout” and not subject to proposed drastic cuts to foreign funding, the Trump administration said.
“Our assistance to Israel is, if I could say, a cutout on the budget, and that’s guaranteed, and that reflects, obviously, our strong commitment to one of our strongest partners and allies,” State Department spokesman Marc Toner said Thursday in a call with reporters.
The reassurance came as an array of Jewish groups and Democratic Jewish lawmakers expressed alarm at proposed 31 percent cuts to foreign spending, saying it would undercut U.S. influence abroad and noting that it currently constitutes just 1 percent of the budget.
“Our consistent position has been that, along with security assistance to Israel, we have always supported a robust overall foreign aid budget in order to ensure America’s strong leadership position in the world,” an official of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee told JTA in an email.
Rep. Lois Frenkel, D-Fla., argued that foreign aid helps stem the unrest that threatens security interests.
“I wish the president would spend more time talking to the generals because they would tell you that pencils can be as persuasive as cannons and food can be as powerful as a tank,” she said at a news conference Thursday.
The American Jewish Committee said national security interests were at stake.
“The proposed draconian cuts in areas vital to executing U.S. foreign policy could adversely affect our national security interests by potentially creating more pressure on the American military while essential diplomacy is being undermined,” David Harris, the AJC CEO, said in a statement. “Deep cuts to the State Department, including in key educational and cultural exchange programs, will severely harm America’s ability to assert our interests and values abroad.”

http://www.jta.org/2017/03/17/news-o...r-us-interests

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https://twitter.com/RandPaul/status/846471452694138884

https://twitter.com/RandPaul/status/846472923426762752

https://twitter.com/dougstafford/sta...74795357229063

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Source though does not appear as misleading as FakeStream Media, still should be read with caution as they tend to have pro Russia/Trump, anti-ISIS/Obama bias at times:

Palestinians support Trump’s call for Israeli settlements ‘pullback’, wary of ‘one state’ idea


© Ammar Awad / Reuters

The Palestinian president fully supports Donald Trump’s call on Israel to “pull back” on settlement expansion, but is yet to comment on a trending idea that a peace deal might not necessarily include an independent Palestinian state.
TrendsPalestinian statehood

The Palestinian presidency “demands that [Israelis] agree to [Trump’s call] and that of the international community, to halt all settlement activities including in occupied East Jerusalem,” a written statement issued by Mahmoud Abbas’ office said.
Trump on Wednesday asked the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to temporarily hold off on building new Jewish settlements on land claimed by Palestinians for their future state.
“I’d like to see you pull back on settlements for a little bit,” Trump said, instead promising to strike a deal that would bring an end to the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict. “I’m looking at two-state and one-state… I like the one that both parties like. I’m very happy with the one that both parties like. I can live with either one.”
“The United States will encourage a peace and really a great peace deal” between Israel and the Palestinians, but they have to negotiate it themselves, Trump said at a joint briefing with Netanyahu in Washington, DC.

https://www.rt.com/news/377503-pales...i-settlements/

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Israel approves construction of first new settlement in more than 20 years


(CNN)Israel's Security Cabinet on Thursday unanimously approved the construction of a new settlement in the West Bank, according to a message from the Prime Minister's office, marking the state's first new settlement in Palestinian territory in more than 20 years.

The new settlement, which will be constructed north of the Palestinian city of Ramallah, is intended for Israeli settlers evacuated from Amona, an outpost destroyed by Israeli authorities in February because it was not sanctioned.

The Security Cabinet on Thursday also advanced plans to construct 2,000 homes inside existing settlements. These homes are part of a plan approved two months ago to grow settlements by more than 5,500 homes. The plan was approved by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government shortly after US President Donald Trump took office.

PLO Executive Committee member Hanan Ashrawi immediately blasted the announcements.

"Israel's policies remain unchanged as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his extremist, racist coalition government continue to persist with their systematic policies of settler colonialism, apartheid and ethnic cleansing, showing a total and blatant disregard for Palestinian human rights, independence and dignity," Ashrawi said in a statement.

"Today's announcement once again proves that Israel is more committed to appeasing its illegal settler population than to abiding by the requirements for stability and a just peace," she added.

Ashrawi called on the international community to hold Israel responsible for the expansion of West Bank settlements.

The United Nations Security Council passed a resolution in December condemning Israeli settlements constructed in the West Bank and East Jerusalem as illegal. These territories, occupied by the Israeli military since 1967, are where Palestinians plan to create their future state.

UNSC Resolution 2334 passed after the US abstained from voting. Former President Barak Obama was a critic of the settlements, viewing them as an obstacle to reaching a viable peace agreement between Israelis and Palestinians.

Thursday's announcement comes despite no agreement between the Trump and Netanyahu governments on how to address settlements. The President requested in February that Israel "hold back" on settlement expansion.

A White House official on Thursday said Israel's decision to approve a new West Bank settlement did not amount to defiance of the President's request for a pause in settlement activity, rather it was "already in the queue."

The new settlement was already on track to be approved "before the President had a chance to lay out his expectations," said the official, who declined to be named due to the sensitive nature of peace talks.

The two sides have previously met in Washington and Jerusalem, as the Trump administration pushes forward with an Israeli-Palestinian peace plan.

"As we move into more detailed discussions regarding the possibilities for advancing Israeli-Palestinian peace, the Israeli government has made clear that Israel's intent is to adopt a policy regarding settlement activity that takes the President's concerns into consideration," the official said.

The official said the President's previous concerns about settlement activity being unhelpful to the peace process "remain the same."

There are 126 Israeli settlements in the West Bank (excluding East Jerusalem), according to the September 2016 report from the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/30/middle...ent/index.html

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In all fairness, they did show courtesy to first family's relatives.

Israel recognizes Ivanka Trump as Jewish now