"The
espionage incidents have done little to slow the billions of dollars in
money and weapons from the United States to Israel. Since Pollard's
arrest, Israel has received more than $60 billion in U.S. aid, mostly in
the form of military assistance, according to the Congressional
Research Service. The U.S. has supplied Israel with Patriot missiles,
helped pay for an anti-missile defense program and provided sensitive
radar equipment to track Iranian missile threats.
Just on Friday, Obama said he was releasing an additional $70 million
in military aid, a previously announced move that appeared timed to
upstage Romney's trip, and he spoke of America's "unshakable commitment
to Israel." The money will go to help Israel expand production of a
short-range rocket defense system.
Some CIA officials still bristle over the disappearance of a Syrian
scientist who during the Bush administration was the CIA's only spy
inside Syria's military program to develop chemical and biological
weapons. The scientist was providing the agency with extraordinary
information about pathogens used in the program, former U.S. officials
said about the previously unknown intelligence operation.
At the time, there was pressure to share information about weapons of
mass destruction, and the CIA provided its intelligence to Israel. A
former official with direct knowledge of the case said details about
Syria's program were published in the media. Although the CIA never
formally concluded that Israel was responsible, CIA officials complained
to Israel about their belief that Israelis were leaking the information
to pressure Syria to abandon the program. The Syrians pieced together
who had access to the sensitive information and eventually identified
the scientist as a traitor.
Before he disappeared and was presumed killed, the scientist told his
CIA handler that Syrian Military Intelligence was focusing on him."