USA Israeli Nuclear Arsenal Prohibits US Foreign Aid Under Symington Amendment

[Desperado]

Guess they will just have to find another source of income.

Israeli Nuclear Arsenal Prohibits US Foreign Aid Under Symington Amendment

Last update: 3:38 p.m. EDT March 31, 2009
WASHINGTON, March 31, 2009 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ -- The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) are heavily lobbying Congress for $2.775 billion in military aid to Israel. However credible reports from the US Army and a former president confirm the existence of an Israeli nuclear weapons arsenal. This could prohibit US taxpayer funded fiscal year 2010 foreign aid.
The declassified US Army report titled "The Joint Operating Environment 2008" identifies Israel as a nuclear weapons power. Specifically the US Army highlights "a growing arc of nuclear powers running from Israel in the west through an emerging Iran to Pakistan, India, and on to China, North Korea, and Russia in the east." Jimmy Carter became the first former President to confirm in 2008 that Israel has secretly financed, developed and deployed an undeclared arsenal of nuclear weapons.
The Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 as amended by the Symington Amendment of 1976 and the Glenn Amendment of 1977 prohibit US military assistance to countries that acquire or transfer nuclear reprocessing technology outside of international nonproliferation regimes. Israel, unlike Iran, is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. If Congress wishes to provide US taxpayer funded foreign aid to Israel in compliance with US law, it may do so only under a special waiver from the office of the President as in the case for Pakistan.
Upholding the Symington Amendment could be an early litmus test as Congress and Executive branch strive to restore public confidence in the aftermath of the US invasion of Iraq and global financial crisis. According to IRmep director of research Grant F. Smith, "Governance depends on rule of law-- it is imperiled if government openly flouts important laws. It is no longer acceptable for Congress or the President to invoke 'strategic ambiguity,' a practice whereby US government officials publicly pretend to the American people that Israel possesses no nuclear weapons."
Links to the US army report on nuclear proliferation may be found at the Israel Lobby Archive: http://IRmep.org/ila/. The Archive is a unit of the Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy in Washington. The Archive digitizes declassified documents obtained through Freedom of Information Act filings with law enforcement, intelligence, and trade agencies.
http://www.irmep.org

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/israeli-nuclear-arsenal-prohibits-us/story.aspx?guid={8402DEB9-830D-4D65-B198-D6781A7B177F}&dist=msr_6

 

[Richard]

Question!

How many nukes, if any, does Israel possess, truth only required.

 

[denfoote]

This is an excuse to kick Israel under the bus just like my Lord said would happen 2000 years ago!!!

This, of course, will being the full wrath of God down upon the United States!!

The Wisdom of God is foolishness to man!!

 

[CRodgers]

Question!

How many nukes, if any, does Israel possess, truth only required.

80-90 give or take a hundred

 

[Richard]

80-90 give or take a hundred

Well thats enough for self defence then? How many nukes does Iran possess?

 

[Desperado]

Question!

How many nukes, if any, does Israel possess, truth only required.

Only Israel knows for sure and they are not talking, but as the site says:
Estimates for Israel's nuclear weapons stockpile range from 70 to 400 warheads. The actual number is probably closer to the lower estimate. Additional weapons could probably be built from inventories of fissile materials.
http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/israel/nuke/

 

[Richard]

Ok thanks guys, any reaction from Obama and the Democrats, how many nukes does Obama approve for Israel compared with any other country?

 

[RobinYyes]

This is an excuse to kick Israel under the bus just like my Lord said would happen 2000 years ago!!!

This, of course, will being the full wrath of God down upon the United States!!

The Wisdom of God is foolishness to man!!

Exactly. The time is VERY soon coming when the US will be at Israel's door with hat in hand begging for help. The wrath that this once great country blessed by God is about to experience is well deserved.

 

[RJC]

This is an excuse to kick Israel under the bus just like my Lord said would happen 2000 years ago!!!

This, of course, will being the full wrath of God down upon the United States!!

The Wisdom of God is foolishness to man!!

In the presidential election, he (Obama) won 78 percent of the Jewish vote and about 70 percent of the Arab-American vote, according to unofficial exit polling. Obama collected 52.8 percent of the overall vote.

The Jews deserve everything the fascists dictate. Just about half of the world’s Jews reside in the Americas, with about 46 percent in North America. .

 

[batterbiscuts]

Exactly. The time is VERY soon coming when the US will be at Israel's door with hat in hand begging for help. The wrath that this once great country blessed by God is about to experience is well deserved.

Thankyou for the best laugh i had all day.


Batterbiscuts

 

[RobinYyes]

Thankyou for the best laugh i had all day.


Batterbiscuts

You can laugh now, I hope you remember it when you are crying later.

 

[batterbiscuts]

You can laugh now, I hope you remember it when you are crying later.

Do you have any idea how much money, manpower, and military weapons we have supplied to the political state of isreal?

If it was not for the British, French, and most recently but most importantly the USA, THERE WOULD BE NO POLITICAL STATE OF ISREAL.

Now tell me why we would beg them for anything.

Batterbiscuts

 

[Kent]

Do you have any idea how much money, manpower, and military weapons we have supplied to the political state of isreal?

If it was not for the British, French, and most recently but most importantly the USA, THERE WOULD BE NO POLITICAL STATE OF ISREAL.

Now tell me why we would beg them for anything.

Batterbiscuts

If it was not for, most importantly GOD, THERE WOULD BE NO POLITICAL STATE OF ISREAL.

 

[Ender]

Actually. the low estimate of Israeli nukes is at 200.

Some estimates have come in as high as 9oo.

 

[CRodgers]

Enough to open a can of whoop a$$ on the rest of the Arab world if necessary.

What I still don't understand is that the Arab population continues to poke at Israel like they can actually win against them not realizing the Jewish nation could flick them like a flea and they would go poof in a heart beat nuclear nanosecond.

It's like if I had a rubber band gun and was sitting here shooting one of you over and over, knowing full well that you had a bazooka in your hand and could use it at any time to take me out.

These people have serious mental issues in my opinion.

 

[TECH32]

Since treaties trump statutes, I'm pretty sure this wouldn't hold up.

And has been pointed out to you many times Desperado, we are obligated, by treaty, to provide aid to Israel.

 

[TECH32]

Do you have any idea how much money, manpower, and military weapons we have supplied to the political state of isreal?

If it was not for the British, French, and most recently but most importantly the USA, THERE WOULD BE NO POLITICAL STATE OF ISREAL.

Now tell me why we would beg them for anything.

Batterbiscuts

If it were not for the aid of the French (not to mention monies from Jews) during our own Revolutionary War, THERE WOULD BE NO UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

Your point is??

 

[Lynn]

Ain't this special.

http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentID=2009040333975

King, Obama discuss Arab initiative, bilateral ties
LONDON – King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, discussed with US President Barack Obama in London Thursday the Arab peace initiative and ways to step up all-round Saudi-US cooperation.
The talks hosted by King Abdullah at his guest residence here was the first between the two leaders.
The two leaders discussed regional and international developments, particularly the Palestine situation and the need to achieve just and comprehensive peace that guarantees the Palestinian people an independent state on their national soil in accordance with resolutions of international legitimacy, SPA reported.
King Abdullah and President Obama also discussed the Saudi and US contributions to international efforts to revive the global economy, restore its growth and prevent the problems it faces, SPA reported.
The two leaders discussed the importance of further strengthening Saudi-US ties in the interests of the two countries and peoples. The strong ties binding the two countries have continuously grown since the historic meeting between King Abdul Aziz, the founder of the Kingdom, and Theodore Roosevelt, the then president of the US.
The audience was attended by Prince Saud Al-Faisal, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and a number of high-ranking Saudi and US officials

 

[D_el]

Exactly. The time is VERY soon coming when the US will be at Israel's door with hat in hand begging for help. The wrath that this once great country blessed by God is about to experience is well deserved.

+100 RobinYyes. There are some here who revel in being deaf and blind. Those who have eyes and will not see, ears and will not hear. The message has been repeated loud and clear many times on this board regarding those things God has spoken of in the Scriptures yet even some professing to be Christian believers deny the word of God.
As for me and mine we will bless Israel.
And may God have mercy on this once great Republic.

 

[Wardogs]

As usual, the Israel haters overlook some important facts. The main one is the power the President has to waive the restrictions imposed by the Symington Amendment, and it's later variations like the Glenn Amendment and Brownback I and II.

In practice, the sanctions of the 1977 Glenn Amendment, (updated again in 1994), were triggered by the Indian and Pakistani nuclear tests of May 1998, and they have been implemented with considerable flexibility, greatly mitigating their potential harshness. Moreover, in 1998 and 1999, legislation was enacted (the Brownback Amendments I and II) to permit the president to waive most of the Glenn Amendment sanctions, as well as those established under two earlier statutory provisions restricting aid to Pakistan (the aforementioned Symington Amendment and the 1985 Pressler Amendment). In October 1999, President Clinton used this authority to waive a number of the most onerous sanctions imposed against India, as well as certain sanctions that had been imposed on Pakistan.

The “Glenn Amendment” refers to an amendment to the Symington Arms Export Control Act (Section 102). Under the Glenn Amendment, if the President determines that a non-nuclear weapon state [as defined by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)] detonates a nuclear explosive device, certain sanctions apply. The sanctions impose broad-ranging restrictions on various types of assistance, loans, and trade. The DOD Appropriations Act of 2000, signed into law on October 25, 1999, provides even mote authority for the President to waive Glenn Amendment sanctions.

The wording of the act itself also gives Israel leeway as they have never been proven to have "detonated a nuclear device". The closest anyone has is speculation that an explosion detected off South Africa was a collaboration between Israel and South Africa.

On September 22, 1979, an American "Vela" satellite detected a distinctive double flash off the southern coast of Africa. The satellite data, together with other information from U.S. intelligence sources, offered strong evidence that the flash had been caused by a low-yield nuclear explosion. Called the "Vela incident" it has never been proven that it was Israel, South Africa, a cooperative effort or even that it actually took place.

In September 1986, Mordecai Vanunu, an Israeli arms technician who had worked at the secret Dimona site for eight years, provided the world with the first detailed account of Israel's nuclear weapon progress. He provided almost 60 color photographs to the London Sunday Times of what he said was Israel's underground bomb factory. He also described Israel's nuclear weapon production techniques in an account accepted by weapons experts on both sides of the Atlantic.

Theodore Taylor, a highly respected former U.S. weapon designer, reviewed Vanunu's claims in detail. Taylor concluded that Israel's thermonuclear weapon designs appeared to be "less complex than those of other nations," and "not capable of producing yields in the megaton or higher range." Nevertheless, "they may produce at least several times the yield of fission weapons with the same quantity of plutonium or highly enriched uranium." In other words, Israel could "boost" the yield of its nuclear fission weapons. According to Taylor, the uncertainties involved in the process of boosting required more than theoretical analysis for full confidence in the weapons' performance.

In 1987, the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA), which does Pentagon-funded research, released a Pentagon-sponsored report confirming that Israel was still conducting extensive research in the technology required for the design and fabrication of nuclear weapons. According to the report, Israel's facilities at Soreq and Dimona have the same mission as the Los Alamos, Lawrence Livermore and Oak Ridge National Laboratories in the United States. IDA reported that Israel was developing the computer "codes which will enable them to make hydrogen bombs.... However, it is doubtful they have the codes to completely design such devices." The report concluded that as of 1987, "the Israelis are roughly where the U.S. was in the fission weapon field in about 1955 to 1960."

In January 1992, Israel's Technion University procured two "parallel" computers capable of reaching supercomputer speeds from the U.K. company Meiko Scientific Ltd.. The sale effectively circumvented U.S.- and Japanese-imposed restrictions for countries that had not signed the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT). But in November 1994, the United States approved the sale of nine supercomputers to Israel: two from Cray Research, five from IBM and two from Silicon Graphics. (The speeds of the nine computers ranged from 1,071 to 6,796 MTOPS.) The end-users--Technion University, Hebrew University and the Weizmann Institute--all have links to Israel's nuclear and missile programs. U.S. officials opposed to the sales were concerned that Israel would get a boost in computing power to work on a major engineering problem: shrinking thermonuclear warheads to fit on long-range missiles.

So while there is little doubt that Israel has nukes, the number and type are complete speculation. While India, Pakistan and N Korea are also not signatories of the NPT, they have all detonated devices, thus falling into the classification of the Glenn Amendment. Israel has not. A technicality for sure, but one that is valid nonetheless under the guidelines of the IAEA.

N Korea and Pakistan are subject to a greater number of U.S. sanctions laws than India largely because they have imported many elements of its nuclear-weapon and missile infrastructures, thereby triggering sanctions aimed at curbing such transfers. India and Israel, whose missile and nuclear programs are treated as essentially indigenous (although both have benefited from foreign assistance, especially in their early years), have not run afoul of these provisions of U.S. law.

The definition of a non-nuclear weapon state is drawn from the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which defines such states as any state other than a nuclear weapon state. The latter is defined in the treaty as those countries that had detonated nuclear devices prior to January 1, 1967 (the United States, Russia, Great Britain, France, and China).

The October 1998 Brownback Amendment – "Brownback I" – provided the president somewhat less sweeping waiver authority for one year. This was exercised but expired after one year. "Brownback II", enacted just after the expiration, is still in effect. All of the legislation enacted provides for waivers. India, Pakistan and most recently N Korea, have had those waivers exercised. Israel has never had to.

Sanctions imposed under the Atomic Energy Act, prohibiting U.S. nuclear fuel and reactor transfers to non-nuclear weapon states, such as India, that have not accepted IAEA inspections on all of their nuclear facilities, are an arrangement known as "full-scope safeguards." (These are not waivable under Brownback Amendment II.)

These sanctions have been in effect since 1978, when the provision was made part of U.S. law, and remain in force. Both Bush I and Clinton either used waiver powers or just ignored them. There was no interest in the Bush II administration in altering this fundamental rule of U.S. nuclear trade (which also bars nuclear sales to Pakistan and Israel). India, however, continues to seek relief, hinting that it might purchase U.S. nuclear power reactors if the ban were lifted.

Obama has not addressed any of these issues yet, although with his increase of funding to Pakistan, and his turning to the UN to deal with N Korea, he seems to be using the "ignore" option...

Wardogs

 

[Desperado]

Oh Yeah, I forgot this is Israel and the normal rules don't apply to them!
It figures that the same israeli apologists on this board are saying that the US government should break their own laws in support of their first love.

tech, I believe if it came down to a choice for the government between paying out Social Security or Aid to Israel, you would not hesitate in your decision to send the money to israel.

Robin, Thanks for the laugh.

 

[Ender]

As usual, the Israel haters overlook some important facts

You know WD, I would actually read your posts with interest because you do present things well, if they didn't start of with slurs and name-calling.

JFYI.

 

[kozanne]

In all honesty, America throwing Israel under the bus should just thrill the pants off some folks on this board. So what's the problem? The evil jooooos will be left to fend for themselves, and so it's a happy day, right? Just balance that out with the trillions in aid we give to the Palis and how wrong that is, and we're good to go!

God will take care of Israel. He neither wants or needs our help. Whether you believe that or not is not even germane to the issue. It doesn't matter what any of us think about it. It will go as it is SUPPOSED to go, and not one second early or one second late.

So there.....

 

[SarahLynn]

US Senate okays $4bn increase in aid to Pakistan


The US Senate voted on Wednesday to boost aid to Pakistan by $4 billion next year.

http://www.hipakistan.com/ss/2009/0...te-okays-4bn-increase-in-aid-to-pakistan.html


This is FOUR BILLION going to Pakistan, a nation probably harboring Bin Laden and tens of thousands of wild-eyed wackos who would think nothing of slitting your throat in the night-there are people there who are best buds with the Taliban, the nation is probably one of the greatest conduits to weapons which are killing Americans and Canadians in A-stan...
And you're having kittens over HALF that amount being given to Israel, a FRIEND and an important ALLY???
Whoa!!

 

[Desperado]

Just balance that out with the trillions in aid we give to the Palis and how wrong that is, and we're good to go!

We should not be giving aid to ANYONE! What part of that do you not understand?

God will take care of Israel. He neither wants or needs our help. So there.....

So I say, Let Him, you yourself say "God neither wants or needs our help".
I say lets give God want he wants.
So there.....

 

[kozanne]

http://www.hipakistan.com/ss/2009/0...te-okays-4bn-increase-in-aid-to-pakistan.html


This is FOUR BILLION going to Pakistan, a nation probably harboring Bin Laden and tens of thousands of wild-eyed wackos who would think nothing of slitting your throat in the night-there are people there who are best buds with the Taliban, the nation is probably one of the greatest conduits to weapons which are killing Americans and Canadians in A-stan...
And you're having kittens over HALF that amount being given to Israel, a FRIEND and an important ALLY???
Whoa!!

Sarah, who said logic had any part in these decisions?

 

[SarahLynn]

Sarah, who said logic had any part in these decisions?

One can always hope and pray

 

[Ender]

In all honesty, America throwing Israel under the bus should just thrill the pants off some folks on this board. So what's the problem? The evil jooooos will be left to fend for themselves, and so it's a happy day, right? Just balance that out with the trillions in aid we give to the Palis and how wrong that is, and we're good to go!

God will take care of Israel. He neither wants or needs our help. Whether you believe that or not is not even germane to the issue. It doesn't matter what any of us think about it. It will go as it is SUPPOSED to go, and not one second early or one second late.

So there.....

A little history lesson here.

God will take care of Israel.

The problem with most Christians is that they think that only Jews are "Israel."

"Israel" is all of the 12 tribes- not just Israelis- nor is "Israel" a particular location.

And don't start with the name-calling because I am NOT anti-semitic.

 

[SarahLynn]

Desperado wrote
We should not be giving aid to ANYONE! What part of that do you not understand?

Good job the French didn't have that philosophy during your Revolutionary War.

I see absolutely nothing wrong with helping one's friends, especially when they are fighting the same battles you are.
A wise man once said to "Cast your bread upon the waters and in many days it will return to you". I believe that one day Israel will possess great wealth and we may be glad we were there when Israel needed us.

 

[Walker10]

Enough to open a can of whoop a$$ on the rest of the Arab world if necessary.

What I still don't understand is that the Arab population continues to poke at Israel like they can actually win against them not realizing the Jewish nation could flick them like a flea and they would go poof in a heart beat nuclear nanosecond.

It's like if I had a rubber band gun and was sitting here shooting one of you over and over, knowing full well that you had a bazooka in your hand and could use it at any time to take me out.

These people have serious mental issues in my opinion.

Point of fact is that the Arabs ARE winning against the Israeli's.

First, Israel practices a blockeheaded stratagy and tactics that have guaranteed them mortal enemies. Their tactics and strategy are proven losers as their incursions into Lebanon have proved.

Second, they have relied on only one patron to keep them afloat and that patron, the US, is faltering both financially and politically. At some point in the not distant future, the US's financial problems will simply make it impossible to continue to shower Israel with the quantities of aid they have enjoyed over the years. Without the US's financial and material aid, Israel is finished.

Third, demographics show that Jews are simply not reproducing at replacement levels and that means that if all else stays the same, Jews will simply cease to exist.

For those who have not learned the lessons of history and are repeating them, the notion that God is going to ride to the rescue is ridiculous on the face of it. People who have not learned their lessons and think that the time they are living in is the time the Bible is referencing think that the Jews who presently occupy Israel are the same Jews that God speaks about and are 'chosen.' This is clearly not the case and all one has to do is exercise a small amount of common sense to prove it to their own satisfaction.

If the Jews in Israel, or anywhere for that matter are God's 'chosen', then why has God allowed them to be kicked out of every country in Europe over the years? If the Jews are God's 'chosen', then why did He allow them to interred in concentration camps during WWII? If the Jews are God's 'chosen', then why did he allow them to gain the country of Israel only to have it turn into a pyyhric victory of never ending conflict?

The answer of course is obvious. The Jews are NOT God's 'chosen' and He is NOT watching over them. Whatever is written in the Bible simply doesn't apply to THIS POINT in time. It has to refer to some other point in time. But people as I just said, have not learned their lessons the same as people for the last 2,000 years didn't learn their lesson and thought the Bible applied to the point in time THEY were living in. And just as they did, people today are making the very same mistake(s).

 

[SarahLynn]

A little history lesson here.

God will take care of Israel.

The problem with most Christians is that they think that only Jews are "Israel."

"Israel" is all of the 12 tribes- not just Israelis- nor is "Israel" a particular location.

And don't start with the name-calling because I am NOT anti-semitic.

But we don't think that. We believe there are Jews scattered throughout the world, but there is only ONE land of Israel.

 

[Walker10]

Since treaties trump statutes, I'm pretty sure this wouldn't hold up.

And has been pointed out to you many times Desperado, we are obligated, by treaty, to provide aid to Israel.

Treaties can also be broken.

 

[Walker10]

If it were not for the aid of the French (not to mention monies from Jews) during our own Revolutionary War, THERE WOULD BE NO UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

Not exactly correct. French aid was of great help but not a necessity for a win.

 

[Walker10]

You know WD, I would actually read your posts with interest because you do present things well, if they didn't start of with slurs and name-calling.

JFYI.

Ditto on this. Let's break with tradition for once and see if the Zionists cannot be the first to stoop to name calling as is usually the case.

 

[Ender]

But we don't think that. We believe there are Jews scattered throughout the world, but there is only ONE land of Israel.

Again: Israel is not Jews- it is ALL the tribes.

 

[Walker10]

http://www.hipakistan.com/ss/2009/0...te-okays-4bn-increase-in-aid-to-pakistan.html


This is FOUR BILLION going to Pakistan, a nation probably harboring Bin Laden and tens of thousands of wild-eyed wackos who would think nothing of slitting your throat in the night-there are people there who are best buds with the Taliban, the nation is probably one of the greatest conduits to weapons which are killing Americans and Canadians in A-stan...
And you're having kittens over HALF that amount being given to Israel, a FRIEND and an important ALLY???
Whoa!!

The two situations are completely different. Just because we give aid to one country doen't mean we must give it to another.

 

[Walker10]

Good job the French didn't have that philosophy during your Revolutionary War.

France aided us during the Revolution for their own ends, not necessarily ours. They were at war with the English and saw that by helping us, they could tie up a significant number of the English fleet and army that would otherwise have been used to fight them.

I see absolutely nothing wrong with helping one's friends, especially when they are fighting the same battles you are.

If you start with a false premise, you will ALWAYS draw false conclusions from it. The Israeli's are not now, nor have they ever been our friend and we are not fighting the same battles. This is a line of propaganda that Israel and her apologists use to rope us in to fighting their battles for them, you can see this happening with the threats Benny is using to rope us into attacking Iran for them.

 

[SarahLynn]

Again: Israel is not Jews- it is ALL the tribes.

That is secondary. There may be Americans scattered throughout the world but there is ONE nation of America.

 

[Dex]

Our country is in peril, tent cities popping up everywhere, unemployment rampant constantly under attack by illegal immigrants taking our jobs, under financial attack so much that people's retirement funds are literally disappearing and yet Zionists want to give billions of taxpayer dollars to another country, a country that lies about it's nuclear capabilities and refused to sign non-proliferation treaties because then it would have to officially fess up to having nukes.

I'm not singling out everyone's precious Israeli warmongers, I think we need to cut off foreign aid to EVERYBODY starting with Israel. That money should be helping our own country, PERIOD.

 

[SarahLynn]

If you start with a false premise, you will ALWAYS draw false conclusions from it. The Israeli's are not now, nor have they ever been our friend and we are not fighting the same battles. This is a line of propaganda that Israel and her apologists use to rope us in to fighting their battles for them, you can see this happening with the threats Benny is using to rope us into attacking Iran for them.

Of course the Israelis are a friend of the USA and, for most of the past century, vice versa held true. Israel is fighting Islamic imperialism, aggression and terror and so are the nations of the West, including America.

To the contrary, I think that the USA and much of the world hopes to rope Israel into looking after their Iran problem for them, then through their secret sighs of relief, plan to self-righteously condemn Israel for doing their dirty work for them.