Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon shakes hands with US Ambassador to Israel Daniel Shapiro near the USS Carney, in Haifa. Photo: Screenshot.

“The relations between the United States and Israel are an example of stability in the region, and we’re trying to introduce and include other states in this ensemble,” said Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon on Monday.

Speaking on board the USS Carney, which anchored in Haifa for a joint US-Israeli military exercise this week, Ya’alon said Greece and Cyprus “were close, and to the east of us there are quite a few Arab countries that are dealing with the same challenges that we’re dealing with today.”

Ya’alon also mentioned, according to the Hebrew news site Walla, that Israel and the US were on the brink of reaching a comprehensive deal on US military aid.

The Obama administration had apparently offered a 10-year aid package to begin in 2018, and according to reports, the new deal would give Israel more freedom over a larger amount of the grant aid than the previous 10-year memorandum signed in 2007, which set the aid at $30 billion.

However, according Defense News, Israel was going to have to forgo requests for yearly additions from Congress to get the deal.

“We’re going to reach a deal within the next few weeks,” said Ya’alon, according to Walla, adding that the goal is a “10-year budget.”