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US
President Barack Obama has signed a piece of legislation ratified by Congress
that gives Israel another $70 million in military assistance, on top of the $3
billion the United States had already pledged to provide to the Israeli
military this year.
On
Friday, Obama signed the United States-Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act
of 2012, which provides more US taxpayer dollars to help Israel expand its Iron
Dome short-range rocket defense system, Xinhua reported.
The
Iron Dome is a short-range rocket defense system designed to intercept rockets
and artillery shells fired from a range of between four and 70 kilometers.
Representatives
of the pro-Israeli lobby, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC),
and Israeli journalists were invited to the signing ceremony, which was held at
the White House.
“I
have made it a top priority for my administration to deepen cooperation with
Israel across the whole spectrum of security issues -- intelligence, military,
technology,” Obama said before signing the bill in the Oval Office.
“And,
in many ways, what this legislation does is bring together all the outstanding
cooperation that we have seen, really, at an unprecedented level between our
two countries that underscores our unshakeable commitment to Israel security,”
he added.
According
to a White House fact sheet published on Friday, Obama said that “despite tough
fiscal times” he “fought for and secured full funding for Israel” in fiscal
year 2012, including $3 billion in Foreign Military Financing.
The
fact sheet also said that Obama secured an additional $205 million in 2011 to
set up the Iron Dome system.
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