US to Give Israel Largest Military Aid Package in History

The United States plans to offer Israel the largest military assistance package in U.S. history, according to an Obama administration official.

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"We are prepared to sign an MOU (memorandum of understanding) with Israel that would constitute the largest single pledge of military assistance to any country in U.S. history," a White House official told Reuters on Tuesday.

The statement came hours after 83 U.S. senators sent a letter to President Obama, urging him to reach a military assistance deal with Israel.

"In light of Israel's dramatically rising defense challenges, we stand ready to support a substantially enhanced new long-term agreement to help provide Israel the resources it requires to defend itself and preserve its qualitative military edge," said the letter.

In February, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would wait for the next U.S. president to take office, if the military package offered by the Obama administration does not sufficiently address Israeli security concerns, according to Israeli media.