Israel was reported today to have asked the United States for military aid of $1,5 billion and economic assistance of about $600 million during the fiscal year beginning next July 1, Aid requests from Arab countries have not been revealed for the same period, U.S. officials told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, when it sought confirmation of the published reports, that they would not discuss Israel’s specific requests but that they would not quarrel with the magnitude of the reported Israeli figures. The new aid budget is currently being prepared for presentation to Congress.
According to the report, Israel is seeking about $2.1 billion. Besides the military aid, Israel is said to have requested $250 million in food purchases, economic supporting assistance of about $325 million, plus special assistance for Soviet refugees which in the past two years has averaged less than $40 million a year.
For the current fiscal year ending June 30, the State Department has asked Congress for $250 million in economic aid for Egypt, five times as much as it had asked for Israel, which was listed for $50 million. In addition, the Department requested $77.5 million for Jordan and a special fund of $100 million which was indicate for Syria, Congress authorized the amounts specified for the Arab countries but in creased Israel’s authorization to $324,5 million.
This figure came from the original $50 million asked by the State Department, plus $200 million proposed in Congress, to equal the $250,000 the Department had sought for Egypt. In addition, congress allowed $74.5 million more to approach the $89.5 million allowed Egypt in agricultural products under another Administration request.
Information leaked to important segments of the media did not report the economic aid to the Arab countries that exceeded Israel’s but dwelt on the Israeli requests for more than $2 billion for the next fiscal year and compared that with the $2.7 billion authorized as a whole for the current fiscal year in foreign aid.
Legislation to allow Israel an equal amount was reduced by $15 million in a Senate-House conference in the last days of the 93rd, Congress. Nevertheless, economic aid to Egypt. Jordan and in the special fund (For Syria) totalled $327,5 million which exceeds the economic total for Israel without counting the $89.5 for Egypt’s food purchases.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
