Money and EconomicsIsrael and Palestine
Money makes the world go round and actions speak louder than words. Where is the money going? What is it used for?
Tuesday, October 28, 2003
Israel, U.S. Develop Short-Range Defense
Excite News: "Israel, U.S. Develop Short-Range Defense | Oct 28, 3:03 PM (ET) | By GAVIN RABINOWITZ
JERUSALEM (AP) - Israel and the U.S. are to spend at least $57 million for development of a laser cannon that can shoot down short-range missiles, an Israeli legislator and security officials said Tuesday.
A recent Israeli delegation successfully lobbied Congress to approve the new funding package for the joint U.S.-Israeli Nautilus laser weapon project, said Israeli lawmaker Yuval Steinitz, who was part of the delegation.
Israel wants the Nautilus to help protect its northern border towns from Katyusha rockets fired by the Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah. Israel claims that Hezbollah now has 11,000 rockets aimed at Israel.
Congress approved $57 million to fund the project, and Israel will also contribute funding, Steinitz said, but could not say how much."
Excite News: "Israel, U.S. Develop Short-Range Defense | Oct 28, 3:03 PM (ET) | By GAVIN RABINOWITZ
JERUSALEM (AP) - Israel and the U.S. are to spend at least $57 million for development of a laser cannon that can shoot down short-range missiles, an Israeli legislator and security officials said Tuesday.
A recent Israeli delegation successfully lobbied Congress to approve the new funding package for the joint U.S.-Israeli Nautilus laser weapon project, said Israeli lawmaker Yuval Steinitz, who was part of the delegation.
Israel wants the Nautilus to help protect its northern border towns from Katyusha rockets fired by the Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah. Israel claims that Hezbollah now has 11,000 rockets aimed at Israel.
Congress approved $57 million to fund the project, and Israel will also contribute funding, Steinitz said, but could not say how much."
Wednesday, October 08, 2003
The Cost of Israeli Settlements: $500 million per year [close to the US annual budget for economic aid. ed.]
Ha'aretz - Article: "The Cost of Israeli Settlements | October 7, 2003
The following editorial appeared in the New York Times on October 3, 2003
Israel's announcement yesterday that it would build 600 new homes in West Bank settlements is cause for despair. Those, including this page, who consider such settlements to be one of the biggest obstacles to ending the Israeli-Arab dispute have often complained about the hardships they impose on Palestinians - and about their cost to Israel. ...
Last week, the liberal independent Israeli newspaper Haaretz published a supplement devoted to the settlements ... Currently, the amount spent on settlements' civilian needs is more than $500 million.
...
One of the reasons the Haaretz study was so difficult to carry out is that the Israeli government's budgets have purposefully hidden spending on settlements within other costs, bundling them with subsidies to border communities and those in the Negev Desert, areas where people need to be induced to live either because of risk or limited economic opportunities. This cover-up is part of an unhappy pattern. Look at any government map of Israel, and you will find no border demarcating the occupied territories. Although Israel has never officially annexed the West Bank and Gaza Strip, it has treated them, in many ways, as if it had.
Ha'aretz - Article: "The Cost of Israeli Settlements | October 7, 2003
The following editorial appeared in the New York Times on October 3, 2003
Israel's announcement yesterday that it would build 600 new homes in West Bank settlements is cause for despair. Those, including this page, who consider such settlements to be one of the biggest obstacles to ending the Israeli-Arab dispute have often complained about the hardships they impose on Palestinians - and about their cost to Israel. ...
Last week, the liberal independent Israeli newspaper Haaretz published a supplement devoted to the settlements ... Currently, the amount spent on settlements' civilian needs is more than $500 million.
...
One of the reasons the Haaretz study was so difficult to carry out is that the Israeli government's budgets have purposefully hidden spending on settlements within other costs, bundling them with subsidies to border communities and those in the Negev Desert, areas where people need to be induced to live either because of risk or limited economic opportunities. This cover-up is part of an unhappy pattern. Look at any government map of Israel, and you will find no border demarcating the occupied territories. Although Israel has never officially annexed the West Bank and Gaza Strip, it has treated them, in many ways, as if it had.
