Israeli Defense Minister thanks Obama for security agreement July 29, 2012 - 11:01 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak thanked U.S. President Barack Obama for his decision to reinforce security and military cooperation with the Jewish state, his office said, according to AFP. "Mr Barak welcomes President Obama's decision to sign a law reinforcing cooperation in defense affairs between America and Israel, including the decision to grant an extra $70 million in aid towards the 'Iron Dome' project," his office said in a statement. "This new law... is a new expression of the ongoing support of the (Obama) administration and the U.S. Congress towards the security of the state of Israel," it added. Obama signed the law on Friday, July 27, surrounded in the Oval Office by representatives of the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC and by U.S. lawmakers. He said the law, which gives Israel preferential access to U.S. arms and munitions, "underscores our unshakable commitment to Israel's security." The U.S. leader also saluted the $70 million contribution this year to the Iron Dome missile defence system, designed to protect Israel against rocket attacks from Islamist militants in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip. The project has received $205 million in U.S. funding since its inception. Partner news  Top stories Only three senators on the committee - Republican Ron Paul and Democrats Tom Udall and Chris Murphy - opposed the bill. If true, the exclusion of Rafsanjani and Mashaie would leave the presidential race dominated by hardline conservatives. Amy Elliott, chief administrative officer of the Oklahoma medical examiner's office, said 51 were confirmed dead. An Islamist insurgency, once confined largely to the republic of Chechnya, has spread across the North Caucasus in recent years.   Partner news |  Latest news Russian expert rules out Karabakh war renewal by Armenia  Alexander Krylov: the possibility of the renewal of Karabakh war should not be exaggerated in the face of the balance of power.German scientists ready to include Armenian petroglyphs in UNESCO list The scientists conducted a survey of ancient rock art, with a database of Armenian petroglyphs to be later developed.OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs won’t visit Artsakh French Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Jacques Faure said the co-chairs are not planning a visit to Nagorno Karabakh.Penguin reaches $75mln agreement in iBooks price fixing lawsuit In a press release, Penguin's parent company, Pearson, noted it had made a $40 million provision for settlement in its 2012 accounts. |
