Sequestration Worries Israel

[Purveyor]

Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz expressed concern Sunday that U.S. financial difficulties would affect Israel’s economy.

“We are very worried about the financial difficulties in the U.S., and I hope they won’t hurt us,” he said at the weekly Cabinet meeting.

Steinitz’s comments came after Obama on Friday night ordered $85 billion in automatic, across-the-board cuts, called sequestration, after Congress failed to reach a compromise on deficit reduction.

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The cuts are sure to affect military aid from the United States to Israel, with estimates of cuts as high as $300 million, including affecting funding for the Iron Dome missile defense system.

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http://www.jewishpress.com/news/breaking-news/sequestration-worries-israel/2013/03/03/

[Scootaloo]

1. Awwww, will Israel have to trim its own arms trade?

I'm sure the Chinese will just be distraught...

Or more likely the Israeli government (...If there ever is one this year) will do just what the US government does; no touchie the 'defense' budget, take it out of the neck of the Israeli people instead.

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

2. I've been told on more than one occasion that Israel doesn't need the money.

I'm not sure if the people that i was talking to were talking out of their ass, but Israel isn't a state of the USA. We can't ask our citizens at home to do with less or nothing at all while keeping the status quo going.

[Journeyman]

3. Of course they're worried. Without our money, they may lose their free healthcare . . .

Health care in Israel is universal and participation in a medical insurance plan is compulsory. Health care coverage is administered by a small number of organizations, with funding from the government. All Israeli citizens are entitled to the same Uniform Benefits Package, regardless of which organization they are a member of, and treatment under this package is government-funded for all citizens regardless of their financial means. Additional coverage for non-essential treatments can be arranged for a fee, which is generally shared between a citizen and their employer. Generally, health care in Israel is of high-quality and is delivered in an efficient and effective manner. Partly as a result of this, at an overall 82 years, Israelis enjoy the fourth-longest life expectancy in the world as of 2012.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_in_Israel

I guess we could have nice things, too, if someone else paid a chunk of our military budget.

[L0oniX]

4. Don't worry your little Palestinian killing ass ...we still have money to "release" to help you. n/t

[NightWatcher]

6. +1

[longship]

5. I guess they'll have to cut back on Gaza settlements.

Just saying that they aren't being very smart these days.

I don't like them very much. They have a reactionary government, at war with everybody.

[FarCenter]

7. Sheldon Adelson can fund Israel instead of spending on US politics.