One of the constants of U.S. foreign policy is that America is expected to pay for everything all of the time. For instance, as Israel and Syria slowly maneuver toward a peace treaty, the only question for Washington is the size of the bill.
U.S. estimates range between $10 billion and $18 billion. But Amos Yaron, director-general of Israel's Defense Ministry, has reportedly proposed a security aid package AWACS and Hercules aircraft, Apache and Blackhawk helicopters, Nautilus anti-missile system, and more running $17 billion alone. Some Israeli officials are talking about needing as much as $30 billion to finance the Syrian deal.
But no surprise here. Observes presidential press secretary Joe Lockhart, ”There has never been an agreement in the Middle East which did not include some sort of American aid.”
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