News Brief

(IsraelNN.com) Israel and the United States signed a huge weapons aid agreement Thursday morning as part of the American strategy to create a new Arab state in Judea and Samaria before American President George W. Bush leaves office in January, 2009.

The deal offers Israel $30 billion in armaments over the next 10 years, but the Americans also are offering Saudi Arabia $20 billion in weapons and Egypt is to receive arms worth more than $10 billion.

Several Congressmen have objected to the aid out of fears that the Arab states will turn their weapons against Israel in the future, However, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert praised the arrangement as being a boon for Israel. Under terms of the deal, Israel can use 26 percent of the money to buy defense products from Israeli companies.