Sen. Daniel Inouye (D. HI) said today that his proposal that the United States reduce the interest rate on loans to Israel from 12 to five percent has received a “favorable response” from his Senate colleagues.
Such a move would send a “strong, unmitigated, clear as crystal message to Israel that the United States stands by her, ” he told the closing session of the annual meeting of the National Commission of B’nai B’rith.
Inouye, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, added that it would also “demonstrate that the United States recognizes Israeli sacrifices for peace.” He said it would help alleviate Israel’s “unprecedented” economic burden by reducing the interest charges over the life of its U.S. loan portfolio by $8.5 billion. The U.S. charges other nations, “some not even friendly “to the U.S., an interest rate of five percent, Inouye said.
Reporting the stories that define our era. When history unfolds in real-time, the Jewish world turns to JTA. Your support ensures we can document the complexities of war and the resilience of Jewish communities with integrity.
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.
