Israel bows to US over arms exports

theage.com.au ^ | 26 June 2005

[Aussie Dasher]

Israel has bowed to US pressure to cancel an arms deal with China and will impose tighter controls on its weapons exports in general, Israel's Haaretz newspaper reports.

The dispute with the United States centres on Israel's sale of Harpy attack drones and other advanced technology to China which the Pentagon fears could tilt the balance of power and make it difficult to defend Taiwan.

Agreeing to US demands, Israel will not return Harpy spare parts that China sent to their Israeli manufacturer for upgrading, Haaretz said.

Israel, the newspaper said, also accepted a US demand to implement the 34-nation Wassenaar Arrangement on export controls for conventional arms and dual-use goods and technologies.

Asked about the report, Vice-Premier Shimon Peres told reporters: "It is not an American demand. It is a way to regulate the sale of arms so that no damage would be done to one of the two countries."

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz made the decisions ahead of a visit this week to Washington by an Israeli delegation that will negotiate a memorandum of understanding on Israeli weapons exports, Haaretz reported.

A spokesman for Sharon declined to comment on the report.

The Defence Ministry had no immediate comment.

Last week, Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom publicly apologised to Washington over arms exports to China, saying "things were done that were not acceptable to the Americans" and insisting Israel had not meant to harm US interests.

Haaretz said China would likely seek compensation from Israel over its failure to return the attack drone spare parts and avoid future weapons deals with the Jewish state.

Washington torpedoed Israel's multi-billion dollar sale of Phalcon strategic airborne radar systems to China in 2000, citing concerns it could upset the regional balance of power.

[Aussie Dasher]

A victory for the Bush Administration AND common sense...

[elfman2]

good!

[ncountylee]

Must have been one hell of a spanking!

Was Shimon Peres standing?

[R.W.Ratikal]

It's ironic that the United States, the largest arms exporter and dealer in the world, who has sold hij-tech computer and nuclear missile technology to Red China, and other arms from jet planes to tanks to anyone with cash or kind, should jump on Israel for arms sales.

[SJackson]

If you'd like to be on this middle east/political ping list, please FR mail me.

[Esther Ruth]

Mat 23:13 But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in [yourselves], neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.

Mat 23:14 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.

Mat 23:15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.

Mat 23:25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.

Mat 23:27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead [men's] bones, and of all uncleanness.

Mat 24:51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint [him] his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Mar 7:6 He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with [their] lips, but their heart is far from me.

[bill1952]

No it is not.

While Clinton was as close to an outright traitor in this regard (with the possible exception of cater the clown boy), it is nor ironic to proscribe the curtailment of high tech weaponry to our known enemies, and that which was developed jointly, at that.

While few are more ardent supporters of Israel than I, I would have endorsed a very serious curtailment of our relationship in every arena, including the political.

Personally, I believe that Israeli instrangitance in this manner would have been suicide.

[bill1952]

However, I do see the point that former (democratic) presidents did give China far too much, and in that repect, it does seem dumb of us to do so.

[lt.america]

"While few are more ardent supporters of Israel than I, I would have endorsed a very serious curtailment of our relationship in every arena, including the political."

I could not have said it any better myself. I too am an ardent supporter of Israel, but at times I have to shake my head in disbelief. I wonder if maybe they decided that reaching out to the emerging superpower may prove to be beneficial in the future, but if that is so, they need to also remember that we were one of the few countries that did not divest ourselves from them in their times of crisis.

[SJackson]

While Clinton was as close to an outright traitor in this regard (with the possible exception of cater the clown boy), it is nor ironic to proscribe the curtailment of high tech weaponry to our known enemies, and that which was developed jointly, at that.

Then you won't be surprised to know that the genesis of this disagreement was a sale of Israeli technology, Harpys, approved by the Dept of Defense in 1999. The Clinton legacy will be with us for awhile.

[bill1952]

I agree.

His legacy is like a vampire.
We need to drive a wooden stake through it's heart, because it keeps on coming.