[Beerinkol]

Seriously, the IDF budget is NIS 53.2 billion for 2010.

We get $2.8 billion from the US. That's less than 10% if I'm not mistaken, and it's been so for years on end. IMHO, the military aid is *insignificant*, especially since we cant buy (cough F22, Apaches, munitions, etc) what we want. We are at a complete disadvantage creating our own [competing] infrastructure and defense programs, by accepting said aid as well. That disadvantage when flipped will make a lot more than 2.8 Billion Dollars. We can sell e.g., India systems that we develop in concert or individually w/o being impeded by Pakistani and Chinese concerns as represented by the Obama regime.

There is an additional $3 billion of conditional loan guarantees, with further funds coming via the U.S.-Israel Joint Economic Development Group (JEDG). The latter can continue on our terms, since it is mutually advantageous to the United States, but is should not be under the aegis of "aid". The former has been used like a bludgeon over the Shamir premiership by Bush senior administration. We cannot afford to be extorted on that level. It's been 20 years since we were so extorted, and we've grown our economy massively since then.

We have absolutely no advantage taking "aid". none. And quite a bit of disadvantage.

I also disagree that pulling out of Camp David, which is budgetary provisioned (aid is provisionally attached and reviewed yearly) will have the correct, and sobering affect on the current American administration and it's runaway policies. Making it a political rather than economic contention will in fact bolster our standing globally, scare our opponents regionally, and gather more support from the party in the United states that actually helps Israel. The Republicans can leverage such an action politically. We should help our friends and we should impede our enemies. The Obama administration has, for all intents and purposes, sided with our enemies against us.