U.S. Freezes Military Ties, Shipments to Israel

World Tribune.Com ^ | 14 Jun 05 | World Tribune.com

[datura]

Tuesday, June 14, 2005 The Bush administration has begun to block arms shipments to Israel and suspend joint programs after the two allies failed to resolve a dispute over arms sales to China.

U.S. officials said the Defense Department and Israeli representatives were unable to draft a memorandum of understanding that would halt Israeli weapons sales to China. They said the two sides could not agree on a supervision mechanism for Israeli arms exports.

Israel has agreed to increase government supervision of arms exports, the long-held turf of the Defense Ministry, Middle East Newsline reported. But officials said the Israeli delegation refused to accept U.S. demands for increased access to Israeli negotiations with foreign militaries. The countries were said to have included India and Singapore, two leading clients of Israel's defense industry.

"This is certainly an issue that is being discussed between the United States and Israel, and we have made our concerns about the sale and transfer of defense equipment and technology to China known to Israel," Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said on Monday.

Whitman refused to confirm a report by the Israeli daily Haaretz that the administration has demanded details of more than 60 military and security deals with China. He also did not address the Pentagon boycott of senior Israeli defense officials.

"We continue also to raise concerns with our allies, our friends and partners and look for them to take responsible approaches to arms sales to China, too," Whitman said. "This is broader than just Israel."

The failure to draft the MoU appeared to have heightened the crisis between the Pentagon and Israel's Defense Ministry. The Pentagon has boycotted high level meetings with Israeli officials since July 2004 in wake of Israel's efforts to upgrade the Harpy unmanned aerial vehicle for China.

Since then, the Pentagon has embarked on a process of escalating sanctions. They included the suspension of Israeli participation in the Joint Strike Fighter program.

Officials said Prime Minister Ariel Sharon sought to resolve the crisis during his visit to the United States in late May. They said a week after Sharon's return, the United States informed Israel that it had been suspended from the JSF program.

In 2005, the administration began holding up arms deliveries to Israel, such as night-vision systems, and delayed a scheduled strategic cooperation session. Officials said the U.S. Army has stopped relaying information on a project to develop the Hunter-2 UAV, based on an Israeli-supplied platform. Northrop Grumman has been the prime contractor of the project for the U.S. Army.

The Pentagon has also refused to engage with three Israeli defense officials. They were identified as Defense Ministry director-general Amos Yaron, head of the ministry's New York-based procurement division Yekutiel Mor, and Sibat arms export chief Yossi Ben-Hanan. These officials were said to have been responsible for Israel's defense relationship with China.

Israeli defense sources said the Defense Ministry has responded to all of the Pentagon requests and still envisions an MoU by August 2005. But they acknowledged ministry opposition to the U.S. demands for increased transparency of arms deals and the dismissal of the three officials.

"The Defense Ministry is holding discreet and pertinent talks with the United States to solve the misunderstandings, which it does not believe need to make public," an Israeli Defense Ministry statement said.

[itsahoot]

Name another major incident at sea involving a US ship that wasn't investigated by Congress.

USS Pueblo maybe?

My suspicion is that the Liberty was providing real time intelligence to Israel's enemy during the battle. If not why were we not outraged?

[itsahoot]

Israel has a very skwewd sense of who its enemies are.

Hardly, and they don't even read Revelation.

[USAfearsnobody]

I've posted something about this already, but here it goes:

I'm proud to stand with Israel, but I will also stand with Taiwan. The biggest threat to Israel's EXISTANCE today is Iran, and the biggest threat to Taiwan's existance is China. China sells arms and nuke technology to Iran. And you can be sure we don't ally ourselves with Iran.

Just keep note that Israel does not intend on being the US's enemy; she just wants to preserve the survival of the country. Take the Jon Pollad example... Yes, he should be kept behind bars. But lets remember what the Israelis did with that stolen intel; they bombed Saddam's nuke reactor, built by the French. And we know how that bombing saved us in the Gulf War. 

In my humble opinion, it is in our strategic interest to keep Israel as our ally, and in addition is the right thing to do. Yes we'll have disagreements, but I feel Israel should have a right to exist. Lets just hope that Israel will WISE UP and stop helping the ChiComs and the Ruskies, whome they have no national security interest in (Maybe a financial).

The two main reasons for the invasion of Iraq were the liberation of the Iraqi people (Operation Iraqi Freedom) and WMD. But one of Saddam's banned technologies were his Israel-range scuds, and it was that that he was also bent on developing, not just WMD chemical or bio or nuclear. And we all know Israel is safer today b/c of the invasion. Just for that, we deserve RESPECT from her. Now she's pretty much selling dangerous technology to CHINA and RUSSIA... enemies of all that we stand for and whom neither we nor the Israelis have a (here i go again) national security interest in, which is exactly the factor that provokes the aid to the Arab countries.

The difference between our actions and these specific Israeli actions? We DO NOT intentionally SELL WEAPONS to just any enemy of freedom, any enemy of Israel. It is not our AIM, it is not our PURPOSE, it is not our DESIRE, and it is not our POLICY and it never will be again, as long as a RELIABLE (Not Bubbah) President is in office. PERIOD. Only when it is in our strategic national security interests (which includes oil) do we deal with DICTATORS. Israel is being SELFISH, pure and simple, unprincipled. I don't want Israel 20 years from now to be in the same group of idiot, traitorous, stupid allies black-list, along with FRANCE, GERMANY, RUSSIA, THE UN. If they keep doing what they are doing, they will find themselves in a hole, and looked upon as complete DUPES and TRAITORS.

God prevent the day I will ever have to go to Barnes and Noble and see a book written "The Israeli Betrayal of America."

[itsahoot]

Bingo! And Bump!

[GSlob]

One of the non-negotiable conditions of US support for Israel ought to be an absolute American control over Israeli arms exports, at least for as long as there is military technology transfer from the US to Israel.

[winner3000]

Trust but verify. Israel can say they are our ally, but when they don't give a hoot about our security their actions speak louder than their words. These are the actions of an enemy, not of a friend.

[BringBackMyHUAC]

==One of the non-negotiable conditions of US support for Israel ought to be an absolute American control over Israeli arms exports, at least for as long as there is military technology transfer from the US to Israel.

I agree. See my first post.

[B4Ranch]

>>Bush I, btw, was very anti-Israel. <<

What has Israel, our 'friend', done that says we should give them more trust than we have been?

I recall reading where Israeli students were attempting to spy in Federal buildings a few years ago. They were selling pictures or something and trying to see what doors were locked during the day.

Why in Sam Hell would students do such a thing? Then there's the selling of restricted technology. Is this what friends do? Do we want friends like this?

[Ruadh]

I agree with this. Other countries will do what is in their interest (or what they think is in their interest) and that can change. We should do what is in ours. In my opinion that would include no transfer of military tech to any foreign country. We should also look to maintaining tariffs high enough to keep sufficient home industry for war production. This last would also benefit the working people of this country, in my opinion.

[ConservativeMind]

I don't see a need to give Israel the sums of grant money we do, regardless of this.

However, out of spite for their current behavior, I'd love to see it stopped.

[Skylab]

All that's needed is the right decision and the Pali problem ends. It will involve some deaths - of some of the nastiest people in the world.

Could have been said by Hitler about the Jews.

[Daaave]

KJ-2000

"Israeli Phalcon for China Troubles Cohen Visit-April 7, 2000"

"Israel’s 1997 contract to sell an airborne warning system to China remains a bone of contention with the United States, especially given the recent tensions between China and Taiwan."

"Barak (Then Prime Minister Ehud Barak.) said that Israel was “aware of American sensitivity” on the issue but was “also aware of our commitments to contracts which we sign”, though he said Israel recognized the “need to coordinate and be in close touch with the United States on matters which may threaten US interests . . . traditionally our closest allies”."

theestimate.com/

"KJ-2000 AWACS-15 June, 2005

"In May 1997, Israel and Russia reached agreement on modifying one IL-76, as a Beriev A-50I, for $250 million, with the option of three more AWACS for a total cost of $1 billion. Russia secured about 20 percent of the deal. After some delay, in October 1999, Russia transferred an A-50 airframe to Israel for the installation of the Phalcon AEW radar system by IAI. By May 2000, Israel had nearly completed work on the aircraft."

"The Phalcon deal became an increasingly controversial issue between the United States and Israel. In 2000, the Clinton Administration voiced stronger objections to the sale and urged Israel to cancel the sale of the Phalcon, saying it is a system comparable to the U.S. AWACS and could collect intelligence and guide aircraft from 250 miles away. Finally, in July 2000 the Israeli government cancelled the deal with China."

sinodefence.com/

I don't think Israel should be allowed to arm the Red Chinese.

[churchillbuff]

It's Taiwan that ought to be P'O'd at the Israelis, because if China uses hi-tech weapons to kill people, it'll be people on Taiwan.

[churchillbuff]

What do the Israelis have against Taiwan? Why are they putting the Taiwanese in mortal danger by helping to arm the Chinese? You'd think Israel would have sympathy with another country - Tawain - that faces mortal peril right on its border.

[A CA Guy]

I agree with you, this is retarded.

[investigateworld]

I certainly hope this article is bogus, but Israel should remember who has oil, which China needs vs. who their friends are and have been since the creation of the modern state.




'
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[USNBandit]

http://www.milavia.net/aircraft/j-10/j-10_pic9.jpg

Excuse me for being part of the great unwashed and being HTML deficient. Here is a link to a picture of the Chinese J-10 or (we refer to it as the F-10.) It is new indigenous produced Chicom fighter almost identical to the Israeli LAVI program. The LAVI was to be an indigenous Israeli fighter leveraged off mostly F-16 technology.

In the photo the only thing that distinguishes the LAVI from the F-10 is a slightly different intake. In the above picture the aircraft is carrying the Chinese PL-8 AAM, a copy of the Israeli Python III. The Python III uses a seeker head based on an older variant AIM-9 series missile.

What worries me most is that the Israelis will sell western radar technology which is still well out front of what the Russians are able to produce.

[BlessingInDisguise]

What a joke. The Chinese government has been propping up our economy and Israel is another one of our slavemasters. I feel like I'm in the twilight zone here. Where have all the conservatives gone?

[familyop]

...while stuff like the following has been going to Russia and most likely not through Israel? Hmmm.


warfare.ru - "Russia's Military Analysis"

PAK-FA Sukhoi T-50

Engines: AL-41F1 2*15500 kgs.
Weight:
VSTOL 21000 kg
max 32800 kg (runway 160m)/31600 kg
Fuel (int) 7000 /10800 kg
Dimensions 20.6 x 14.4 / 7.82 x 5.84 &#1084;
Sq 54.6 /77 sq.m

Max speed 2250 km/h
Alt.: 18800 m

Load balance: 0.95
Flight range: 4200-5500/7400 km

Armament: 2x30mm gun
Hardpoints: 8 (conf.), 2*4

Development of Russia's LFI (logkiy frontovoi istrebitel)
lightweight tactical fighter has been dramatically accelerated after the Russian Air Force decided its priorities for the next 10 years. Revealed here exclusively as the I-2000 (Istrebitel {fighter} 2000) project, the aircraft is due to become operational in 2005 as Russia's basic front-line fighter. It is also likely to become the leading export product of the Russian aircraft industry. Available information on the I-2000 indicates that it will be closely comparable to the US Joint Strike Fighter, operating in both the air-to-air and air-to-surface roles.

The aircraft comes from a long line of Mikoyan lightweight fighters, such as the MiG-15 and MiG-21. It is about the same size as the MiG-21 (shorter by 1.3m but wider by 4.5m), but noticeably smaller than its immediate predecessor, the MiG-29. Take-off weight is estimated at around 12 tonnes; maximum take-off weight at about 16 tonnes. [1]

In early 2002 Sukhoi was chosen as prime contractor for the planned Russian fifth-generation fighter is called the PAK FA [ Perspektivnyi Aviatsionnyi Kompleks Frontovoi Aviatsyi - Future Air Complex for Tactical Air Forces]. This intermediate class twin-engined fighter will be larger than a MiG-29 and smaller than a Su-27.

The aircraft will feature a long combat radius, supersonic cruise speed, low radar cross section, supermaneuverability, and the ability to make short takeoffs and landings. In accordance with the technical requirements, the PAK FA will have a normal takeoff weight of 20 tons, which is close to the average normal takeoff weight of the two American airplanes, the F-35 JSF (17.2 tons) and the F-22 (24 tons). The new fighter (a medium version) will have a traditional wing form, though the experience gathered as a result of Berkut's test flights will be taken in consideration when designing the fighter. It is supposed that it will be created using the Stealth technology, and equipped with two AL-41F engines by the Saturn scientific and industrial enterprise, a radar system with an active phased array (to all appearances, it will be produced by the Fazatron-NIIR corporation), and high-precision weapons.

The government commission decided on 26 April 2002 to choose the Sukhoi holding company as the head company to develop and produce the fighter of the fifth generation. The prototype of the PAK FA would take-off in 2006 and that in 2010 the aircraft would be ready for series production. The first deliveries, both for Russian armed forces and for export, would be possible in 2011-12.

The new airplane is being proposed to be brought from the concept design to a prototype series in less than 9 years. Historically, fourth and fifth generation fighters have not been created in less than 15 years. The Russian government has promised to allocate 1.5 billion dollars for the PAK FA through 2010. But the Russian Air Force is receiving less than 200 million dollars a year during this period, and will spend it primarily on other needs.

The prices and sources of funding will determine the destiny of the whole program. To date officials agree that the program will cost $1.5 billion. However, $1.5 billion is the sum needed for creating a new generation of avionics for the fighter (considering the fact that pre-production models of the phased array have already been produced, and will soon be tested). Completion of the AL-41F engine (present readiness is 30 percent) will require, in the opinion of the boss of Rosaviakosmos, 600 - 800 million dollars. Saturn said that launching of production of the AL-41F engine would take $150 million. An improved version of the AL-31F will be used on the aircraft originally (though it is not clear how these heavy motors are reconciled with the concept of a 20-ton fighter). The upgrade of these engines will require expenditures of 1.2-1.5 billion dollars. And finally, designers will have to spend several hundred millions of dollars on creating a new airframe. According to some reports, India and Russia have agreed to jointly develop this fifth-generation fighter, under a scheduled with entery into service in 2009. This would be the first such joint development venture between the two countries. [8]

I'm really beginning to wonder.

Now the Pentagon tells Bush: climate change will destroy us
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1083687/posts

Are more national socialist Caligula-cons (AKA "paleo-cons") starting to come out of the closet and get out of hand?