Obama-Netanyahu Rift Impedes U.S. Offer of Record Aid Deal for Israel

President Obama has proposed granting Israel the largest package of military aid ever provided by the United States to another nation, but he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remain deeply at odds over a figure for the assistance despite months of negotiations. American officials have balked as their Israeli counterparts insisted on more generous terms for a new 10-year military aid package that could top $40 billion. For Obama, the deal would cement his claim to have done more than any other president to support Israel’s security, while Netanyahu would come away with assurance that the countries’ relationship has survived an extraordinarily tumultuous and partisan period.