BEIT-UL-MOQADDAS (AFP) -- The United States signed a deal on Thursday to boost its military aid to Israel to $30 billion over the next decade aimed at countering a ""resurgent"" Iran and its allies.

""The United States has an abiding interest in the state of Israel,"" U.S. Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns said before signing the memorandum of understanding for the aid package with the director general of the Israeli foreign ministry in Beit-ul-Moqaddas.
A statement from the office of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who met the U.S. envoy late Wednesday, said the deal ""illustrates the depth of the relationship between the two countries and the commitment of the United States to the defense of Israel and preserving its qualitative superiority.""
The package, unveiled by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on July 30, is part of a new military pact with U.S. allies in the region aimed at countering the ""negative influences"" of the Al-Qaeda terror network and Lebanon's Hezbollah.
The bonanza includes a $20 billion weapons package for Saudi Arabia, one of $13 billion for Egypt, and reportedly arms deals worth at least $20 billion for other Persian Gulf allies.
The aid to Israel reflects an increase in value of more than 25 percent, with Olmert describing it as a considerable improvement and an important element for national security.
With current U.S. defense aid to Israel standing at $2.4 billion a year, the new package will raise the value of assistance by $600 million a year on average, officials said.
The total $30 billion figure represents almost $4,286 for each Israeli citizen.
The deal includes what Burns described as a ""unique"" clause to U.S. military foreign aid, which allows Israel to use 26.3 percent of the annual aid to buy equipment from its own defense industry