DAR AL HARB/ISLAM - U.S.A./ISRAEL/EGYPT/SAUDI ARABIA: ISRAEL UNDERSTANDS THE AID THE UNITED STATES IS PROPOSING TO PROVIDE TO SAUDI ARABIA

Israel says U.S. aid to Saudi military is understandable

JERUSALEM: In a break from historic Israeli opposition to U.S. arms sales to Saudi Arabia, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Sunday his country understands Washington's plan to supply state-of-the-art weapons to Riyadh as a counterweight to Iranian influence.

He said that alongside the arms deal, the U.S. is offering a sharp increase in defense aid to Israel, assuring the Jewish state it will retain a fighting edge over its neighbors.

"We understand the need of the United States to support the Arab moderate states and there is a need for a united front between the U.S. and us regarding Iran," Olmert told a weekly Cabinet meeting. The rare agreement reflects shared U.S. and Israeli concern with the potential threat of an Iran with nuclear weapons.

The proposed arms deal would include advanced weaponry and air systems that would greatly enhance the striking ability of Saudi warplanes. That set off alarms on the Israeli right. One leading hard-liner warned that Saudi Arabia, although not belligerent at present, could be taken over by extremists. The western Saudi border is just a few kilometers (miles) from southern Israel.

The proposed package comes with a serious sweetener for Israel: a 25 percent rise in U.S. military aid, from an annual $2.4 billion (€1.76 billion) at present to $3 billion (€2.2 billion) a year, guaranteed for 10 years, Olmert and U.S. officials said.

Olmert said the increase in military aid to Israel would guarantee its strategic superiority, irrespective of upgrades to Arab forces in the region. Olmert said the rise was pledged by President George W. Bush during his visit to Washington last November and was finalized in another round of White House talks in June.

"In my last meeting with him, we decided that the assistance would be $30 billion (€22 billion) for 10 years, about $3 billion a a year. This is more than a 25 percent increase ... and it is very significant for the safety of Israel," Olmert said.

The U.S. has long-standing commitments to Israel and to Egypt. At the same time, the U.S. is seeking to strengthen other moderate Mideast allies, largely as a counterweight to Iran's growing influence.

The United States and Israel accuse Iran of developing nuclear bombs, a charge Tehran denies. Iran, whose leader has repeatedly called for Israel to be to wiped off the map, is viewed by Israel as its main enemy. Shiite Muslim Iran also worries the Saudis and other Sunni-led Arab allies of the U.S.

The Haaretz daily on Sunday cited U.S. officials saying Saudi Arabia has asked that Congress be notified in advance of the planned sale, to avoid another showdown with Israel, while the Pentagon is asking the Saudis to accept restrictions on the range, size and location of the satellite-guided bombs, including a commitment not to store the weapons at air bases located nearby Israeli territory.

Israel's southern tip is about 15 kilometers (10 miles) from Saudi Arabia across the Gulf of Aqaba.

Although the Israeli right voiced worries about the latest plan, it stopped short of outright calls to block it.

"I am very concerned," Yuval Steinitz, a key hawk on parliament's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, told The Associated Press. "I can understand the need to support moderate states like Egypt and Saudi Arabia, but on the other hand we have to remember that governments can be toppled, as in Iran."

Senior administration officials said Friday that Bush would seek Congressional approval for additional military aid to Israel and also to Egypt, which currently gets $1.3 billion (€950 million) a year.

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