The amount is not only more than last year's $135 million, but comes earlier in the budget process, holding out the expectation that the allocation will be increased considerably more by the Senate before the final bill is voted on in the fall.

Source: Jerusalem Post

The Israeli government is the largest recipient of US financial aid in the world, receiving over ONE-THIRD of total US aid to foreign countries, even though Israel’s population comprises just .001% of the world’s population and has one the world’s higher per capita incomes.

Since 1949 the US has given Israel a total of $84,854,827,200. The interest costs born by US taxpayers on behalf of Israel are $49,937,000,000 – making the total amount of aid given to Israel since 1949 $134,791,507,200 (more than $134 billion).

Source: The Palestine Monitor

What do I conclude from this?

The US is funding the occupation of Palestine and maintaining a bridgehead into the middle east in it's "war on everything".

Next time you hear a US politician banging on about the evils of Hamas, the Lebanese, Iran - remember the context. I'm sure these countries harbour bad people and bad politics and human rights are low on the agenda - I don't approve. What you have to grasp is that when the most powerful country in the world is using it's military and financial might to play politics and pursue their own agenda in your back yard - these same countries probably have a right to feel paranoid and to kick back.

The US have a habit of painting people and countries either black or white and manipulating the news accordingly.

Just remember that all is not as simple as it seems and we are all going to feel the impact of US politics in this region.