After failing to take an incentive package from the United States in exchange for a freeze on settlement activity, Israel is asking for the incentive package anyway. Israel was reportedly offered 20 advanced war planes from the United States in exchange for a settlement freeze which would lead the way to renewed peace talks. However, Israel refused the idea of freezing settlement construction and Bloomberg is reporting today that Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren, is still expecting to receive the war planes.
Bloomberg reports,
It was clear from the beginning that the 20 we were purchasing would not be enough and we’d require more,” Oren said. The F-35 planes are the “ballast in helping Israel maintain its qualitative military edge” over potential foes in the region, he said.Defense officials from both countries are discussing ways to pay for the “expensive” jets because Israel lacks the funds, Oren said.
The U.S. had offered the 20 additional F-35 jets as part of an effort to revive direct Middle East peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, which stalled after an earlier freeze on West Bank settlement construction ended in September.Defense officials from both countries are discussing ways to pay for the “expensive” jets because Israel lacks the funds, Oren said.
The U.S. had offered the 20 additional F-35 jets as part of an effort to revive direct Middle East peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, which stalled after an earlier freeze on West Bank settlement construction ended in September.”
In Hebrew we have a word for this behavior, Chutzpah.