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Say No to $60 Billion U.S. Mideast Arms Deal
The Mideast needs a lot of things–peace, development, education, infrastructure, human rights–but another $60 billion in U.S. weapons aid isn’t one of them. Most things the Bush Administration is abysmal at. But wreaking war and havoc in the Mideast is one that they’ve really mastered. So I see last week’s proposal to increase weapons sales over a ten year period to Israel to $30 billion; Egypt to $13 billion; and the Gulf states to $20 billion–along the same lines.
Bush thinks he’s following a two track policy of politically & militarily bolstering our so-called allies like Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Egypt and Jordan. But his political proposals are toothless and all that he will have to show in ten years time when the arms sales are complete is a wholesale escalation in violence partially enabled by the increased weaponry all sides will bring to bear against their enemies.
That’s why I welcome Jewish Voice for Peace’s campaign against the arms sales. It is unfortunate that other dovish Jewish groups aren’t protesting this ill-advised proposal though I can understand that they don’t want to appear to be anti-Israeli in opposing the increase in aid to Israel, as this might sit poorly with American Jewish conservatives. But truly, this aid package will only damage the prospects for peace in the Mideast and long-term this will hurt Israel as well as the Arab countries in the region.
Please take a moment and send a message to Washington that you too oppose the arms sales.
