US also gives $4 million dollars in aid to Israel. How much does the UK give to Israel?
I don’t know and I don’t care. This is about business, not aid or charity. Israeli Aerospace Industries Ltd is going to be paid by the British MOD for their product, and the Israeli defence industry needs foreign customers to pay for their stuff in order to continue to be able to fund their future development world-leading military hardware.
If the Israeli’s wanted to get all butthurt about Britain selling stuff to the Saudis and not paying them off like the Americans do, they could refuse to sell to us, but Britain is more than capable of producing an equivalent piece of equipment itself (and is doing, with the Taranis project) and buying a stopgap from somewhere else in the meantime. Israel has more to gain from this deal than Britain does, ultimately...
I don’t know and I don’t care. This is about business, not aid or charity. Israeli Aerospace Industries Ltd is going to be paid by the British MOD for their product, and the Israeli defence industry needs foreign customers to pay for their stuff in order to continue to be able to fund their future development world-leading military hardware.
If the Israeli’s wanted to get all butthurt about Britain selling stuff to the Saudis and not paying them off like the Americans do, they could refuse to sell to us, but Britain is more than capable of producing an equivalent piece of equipment itself (and is doing, with the Taranis project) and buying a stopgap from somewhere else in the meantime. Israel has more to gain from this deal than Britain does, ultimately...
None.
It deals with Israel as an ally, and sells £xbillion of arms to Israel every year. It DID give aid to Israel until 1999.