31 mar 2014
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On Tuesday 1 April, 2014, at 7:30 PM AICafe invites you for Screening of the film "The Lab" and discussion with the filmmaker, Yotam Feldman
Since 9/11, the Israeli arms industry is doing bigger business than ever before. Large Israeli companies develop methods and test the vessels of future warfare, which are then sold worldwide by private Israeli agents. At the same time Israeli theoreticians explain to various foreign countries how to defeat civil and para-military resistance according to the extensive Israeli experience. The Lab reveals how this process has transformed the Israeli military occupation of Gaza and the West Bank from a burden to a marketable, highly profitable asset. |
Yotam Feldman was born in Tel-Aviv and was a staff writer at the Haaretz weekly magazine, writing on several topics including Israeli military policies. He studied philosophy at Tel Aviv University. The Lab is his first long film.
(The Lab: Israel/Belgium/France, 2013, 60 minutes, Hebrew with English subtitles).
Join for this crucial topic!
The AIC is a joint Palestinian-Israeli activist organization engaged in dissemination of information, political advocacy and grassroots activism. The AICafè is a political and cultural café open on Tuesday and Saturday night from 7pm until 10pm. It is located in the Alternative Information Center in Beit Sahour, close to Suq Sha'ab (follow the sign to Jadal Center ). We have a small library with novels, political books and magazines. We also have a number of films in DVD copies and AIC publications which critically analyze both the Palestinian and Israeli societies as well as the conflict itself.
(The Lab: Israel/Belgium/France, 2013, 60 minutes, Hebrew with English subtitles).
Join for this crucial topic!
The AIC is a joint Palestinian-Israeli activist organization engaged in dissemination of information, political advocacy and grassroots activism. The AICafè is a political and cultural café open on Tuesday and Saturday night from 7pm until 10pm. It is located in the Alternative Information Center in Beit Sahour, close to Suq Sha'ab (follow the sign to Jadal Center ). We have a small library with novels, political books and magazines. We also have a number of films in DVD copies and AIC publications which critically analyze both the Palestinian and Israeli societies as well as the conflict itself.
30 mar 2014
Chairman of the Join Chief of Staff Army General Martin Dempsey speaks during a retirement ceremony, Maryland March 28, 2014
Israeli occupation prime minister thanked the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States for the additional US aid provided to develop the ‘Iron Dome defense system’. Israeli media reported that Netanyahu during his meeting with Dempsey in occupied Jerusalem praised the security and strategic cooperation between the US and the Israeli occupation state.
Dempsey met today with the occupation defense minister, Moshe Ya'alon, in the presence of the army chief of staff Beni Gantz and discussed the recent developments in the region and the mutual military cooperation.
Ya'alon thanked Dempsey for being a “true friend of Israel”, noting that the United States.
The United States is sworn to backing Israel with an annual military aid and this visit reflects yet another time the unwavering commitment to the Israeli occupation security.
Dempsey began his visit to the Israeli entity will continue for three days.
Israeli occupation prime minister thanked the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States for the additional US aid provided to develop the ‘Iron Dome defense system’. Israeli media reported that Netanyahu during his meeting with Dempsey in occupied Jerusalem praised the security and strategic cooperation between the US and the Israeli occupation state.
Dempsey met today with the occupation defense minister, Moshe Ya'alon, in the presence of the army chief of staff Beni Gantz and discussed the recent developments in the region and the mutual military cooperation.
Ya'alon thanked Dempsey for being a “true friend of Israel”, noting that the United States.
The United States is sworn to backing Israel with an annual military aid and this visit reflects yet another time the unwavering commitment to the Israeli occupation security.
Dempsey began his visit to the Israeli entity will continue for three days.
21 mar 2014
The US administration asserted that its annual aid for the Zionist entity will not be reduced.
Two members of Senate Armed Services Committee confirmed that Washington to continue providing military aid to Israel despite budget cuts.
Kelly Ayotte and Joe Donnelly, who are members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, have visited Israel to confer on security issues on which the allies have partnered.
Donnelly stressed on the importance of having Israel as an ally in this region," pointing to Israel's rare stability in a turbulent Middle East.
The US administration signed a 10-year deal with Israel in 2007 granting it 30 billion dollars until 2017.
Two members of Senate Armed Services Committee confirmed that Washington to continue providing military aid to Israel despite budget cuts.
Kelly Ayotte and Joe Donnelly, who are members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, have visited Israel to confer on security issues on which the allies have partnered.
Donnelly stressed on the importance of having Israel as an ally in this region," pointing to Israel's rare stability in a turbulent Middle East.
The US administration signed a 10-year deal with Israel in 2007 granting it 30 billion dollars until 2017.
19 mar 2014
An Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) Heron (Machatz-1) drone is pictured at the Singapore Airshow
The (Defense) Ministry is increasing the number of countries for which arms exporters will not be required to receive a special license for marketing nonclassified weaponry and defense equipment.
Until recently, there were 39 countries for which Israeli arms exporters were exempted from having a license from the Defense Export Control Agency to sell weapons, security equipment systems or defense-related information that was defined as not classified. The recent decision by the (Defense) Ministry and its director general, Maj. Gen. (res.) Dan Harel, significantly increases the number of countries for which no DECA license is required.
Ministry officials did not say which countries are on the list of those exempt from the requirement, and explained that the purpose of the decision is to increase and encourage security exports from the State of Israel.
“It is not our intention to loosen supervision or change the parameters according to which we make it easier to export,” Harel said. “We will promote the taking of larger controlled risks to open new global export markets, and we will streamline our methods. We have already begun the change in giving marketing and export licenses for new markets, and there are even some industry successes.”
The annual DECA conference took place Tuesday in the Avenue Conference Center at Airport City, near Tel Aviv. Defense Ministry officials did not allow journalists to attend. Instead, they issued a press release at the end of the conference.
Harel and Beth M. McCormick (head of the Defense Technology Security Administration at the U.S. Department of Defense) took part in the conference, which was also attended by hundreds of defense industry exporters.
Defense Ministry officials presented statistics related to DECA’s work, noting that, in 2013, the agency received more than 27,000 new applications for marketing licenses for 190 countries. More than half the applications were requests for licenses to market equipment that is considered not classified.
A marketing license is the first step in security exports. To obtain one, the company or private individual who wishes to sell arms or defense equipment to clients abroad lists the item to be exported, together with all the countries to which the company or individual believes they can export to in the future. Once the defense deal has been signed, the exporter must obtain an additional license – a license to export – before supplying the arms or defense equipment.
During 2013 there was an increase in the number of suspected violations of the Defense Export Control Law. Defense Ministry officials said there were 172 cases of suspected violation of the law – the highest number of cases in recent years.
DECA officials fined two large defense industry companies that engaged in illegal marketing activity, and fined security exporters more than NIS 4 million – the highest amount since the agency was established.
During the conference, DECA head Col. (res.) Dubi Lavi said that Defense Ministry officials would hold more frequent inspections of defense industry companies. “We will look into ways to make the inspections and enforcement more effective,” he said, “so we can be sure that the products leaving Israel meet the conditions and restrictions of the marketing and export license, and to meet one major goal: to protect the security interests of the State of Israel.
Source: HAARETZ
The (Defense) Ministry is increasing the number of countries for which arms exporters will not be required to receive a special license for marketing nonclassified weaponry and defense equipment.
Until recently, there were 39 countries for which Israeli arms exporters were exempted from having a license from the Defense Export Control Agency to sell weapons, security equipment systems or defense-related information that was defined as not classified. The recent decision by the (Defense) Ministry and its director general, Maj. Gen. (res.) Dan Harel, significantly increases the number of countries for which no DECA license is required.
Ministry officials did not say which countries are on the list of those exempt from the requirement, and explained that the purpose of the decision is to increase and encourage security exports from the State of Israel.
“It is not our intention to loosen supervision or change the parameters according to which we make it easier to export,” Harel said. “We will promote the taking of larger controlled risks to open new global export markets, and we will streamline our methods. We have already begun the change in giving marketing and export licenses for new markets, and there are even some industry successes.”
The annual DECA conference took place Tuesday in the Avenue Conference Center at Airport City, near Tel Aviv. Defense Ministry officials did not allow journalists to attend. Instead, they issued a press release at the end of the conference.
Harel and Beth M. McCormick (head of the Defense Technology Security Administration at the U.S. Department of Defense) took part in the conference, which was also attended by hundreds of defense industry exporters.
Defense Ministry officials presented statistics related to DECA’s work, noting that, in 2013, the agency received more than 27,000 new applications for marketing licenses for 190 countries. More than half the applications were requests for licenses to market equipment that is considered not classified.
A marketing license is the first step in security exports. To obtain one, the company or private individual who wishes to sell arms or defense equipment to clients abroad lists the item to be exported, together with all the countries to which the company or individual believes they can export to in the future. Once the defense deal has been signed, the exporter must obtain an additional license – a license to export – before supplying the arms or defense equipment.
During 2013 there was an increase in the number of suspected violations of the Defense Export Control Law. Defense Ministry officials said there were 172 cases of suspected violation of the law – the highest number of cases in recent years.
DECA officials fined two large defense industry companies that engaged in illegal marketing activity, and fined security exporters more than NIS 4 million – the highest amount since the agency was established.
During the conference, DECA head Col. (res.) Dubi Lavi said that Defense Ministry officials would hold more frequent inspections of defense industry companies. “We will look into ways to make the inspections and enforcement more effective,” he said, “so we can be sure that the products leaving Israel meet the conditions and restrictions of the marketing and export license, and to meet one major goal: to protect the security interests of the State of Israel.
Source: HAARETZ
18 mar 2014
The largest and most advanced transport aircraft called “Samson” is scheduled to be received by the Israeli occupation forces this April. It is one of three planes that will reach Israel from the United States in the coming period.
The plane, which was manufactured by Lockheed Martin Corporation, is capable of flying at low levels and doing special missions.
Haaretz daily newspaper reported Tuesday that the rest of the planes will arrive next May.
Its name backs to “Samson Agonist” who lived in Gaza and was known for his superhuman strength.
The plane, which was manufactured by Lockheed Martin Corporation, is capable of flying at low levels and doing special missions.
Haaretz daily newspaper reported Tuesday that the rest of the planes will arrive next May.
Its name backs to “Samson Agonist” who lived in Gaza and was known for his superhuman strength.
10 mar 2014
Defense Department says agreement signed last week brings ‘meaningful co-production opportunities’ for US industry.
The United States and Israel signed an agreement last week to “continue support of the production of the Iron Dome weapon system,” according to a statement over the weekend from the Missile Defense Agency of the US Department of Defense.
“The Iron Dome system is capable of intercepting and destroying short-range rockets, and mortar and artillery shells, and is an invaluable component of Israeli missile defense,” the statement reads. “During Operation Pillar of Defense in 2012, Iron Dome was credited with saving countless Israeli lives, and was called a ‘game-changer’ by many Israeli policy-makers.”
The agreement, concluded last Wednesday, “ensures continued US funding for procurement of Iron Dome systems and interceptors, and provides for significant co-production opportunities for US industry. Under the terms of the agreement, $429 million will be transferred immediately to Israel to support Iron Dome procurement.”
The statement cites the “strategic value” of the agreement for both Israel and the US. “Israel will obtain valuable resources to contribute to its defense and US industry will receive meaningful co-production opportunities for Iron Dome components,” it reads.
US funding for joint US-Israeli missile defense programs came under scrutiny last week amid reports that US President Barack Obama’s budget for fiscal year 2015 gutted funding for the US-Israel missile defense partnership.
But the funding for missile defense was intact, Jewish groups said last Thursday, adding that it was the responsibility of Congress, not the White House, to bring funding up to previous years’ levels.
In the presidential budget proposal submitted for fiscal year 2014, the amount requested for missile defense projects, including the Arrow programs, was $95 million, while this year, the president requested that Congress approve $96.8 million for the same budget item.
An AIPAC source told The Times of Israel that the 2015 budget request is consistent with previous budget submissions and that the organization would work with Congress as the process moves forward to ensure that funding levels continue to support American-Israeli missile defense programs.
In previous years, including 2014, Congress added additional funds beyond those requested by the president.
In 2014, Congress hiked up funding to over $268 million, and one legislative analyst said that this year’s final number would be higher than that.
Unlike the Arrow and David’s Sling programs, Iron Dome is not a joint US-Israeli program, but an Israeli-developed system whose US parts procurement is funded by the American government.
The United States and Israel signed an agreement last week to “continue support of the production of the Iron Dome weapon system,” according to a statement over the weekend from the Missile Defense Agency of the US Department of Defense.
“The Iron Dome system is capable of intercepting and destroying short-range rockets, and mortar and artillery shells, and is an invaluable component of Israeli missile defense,” the statement reads. “During Operation Pillar of Defense in 2012, Iron Dome was credited with saving countless Israeli lives, and was called a ‘game-changer’ by many Israeli policy-makers.”
The agreement, concluded last Wednesday, “ensures continued US funding for procurement of Iron Dome systems and interceptors, and provides for significant co-production opportunities for US industry. Under the terms of the agreement, $429 million will be transferred immediately to Israel to support Iron Dome procurement.”
The statement cites the “strategic value” of the agreement for both Israel and the US. “Israel will obtain valuable resources to contribute to its defense and US industry will receive meaningful co-production opportunities for Iron Dome components,” it reads.
US funding for joint US-Israeli missile defense programs came under scrutiny last week amid reports that US President Barack Obama’s budget for fiscal year 2015 gutted funding for the US-Israel missile defense partnership.
But the funding for missile defense was intact, Jewish groups said last Thursday, adding that it was the responsibility of Congress, not the White House, to bring funding up to previous years’ levels.
In the presidential budget proposal submitted for fiscal year 2014, the amount requested for missile defense projects, including the Arrow programs, was $95 million, while this year, the president requested that Congress approve $96.8 million for the same budget item.
An AIPAC source told The Times of Israel that the 2015 budget request is consistent with previous budget submissions and that the organization would work with Congress as the process moves forward to ensure that funding levels continue to support American-Israeli missile defense programs.
In previous years, including 2014, Congress added additional funds beyond those requested by the president.
In 2014, Congress hiked up funding to over $268 million, and one legislative analyst said that this year’s final number would be higher than that.
Unlike the Arrow and David’s Sling programs, Iron Dome is not a joint US-Israeli program, but an Israeli-developed system whose US parts procurement is funded by the American government.
25 feb 2014
Senior Navy commanders await two new submarines to further enhance Israeli secret operations at sea, claim Israel is on constant alert to secure assets against Syrian, Hezbollah threats.
Against the backdrop of Lebanese media reports claiming the Israeli Air force attacked a weapons convoy heading from Syria to Lebanon on Monday, a seemingly significant expression of IDF's special operations is revealed Tuesday morning.
Figures presented by a senior Navy officer indicate that 58% of submarine squadron "sea hours" last year were executed within operational activities, and the rest were used for training. In 2012, the figure in question stood at 36%, with similar figures for 2011 and 2010.
In 2013, 54 special operations were launched off the Haifa Navy base, indicating another increase in the Navy's operational activities. "We carried out thousands of submarine operational hours last year," said a senior Navy commander, who also informed that "two new Dolphin submarines arrived in Israel from Germany in the second half of the year. It is a unique tool and we are preparing it for unique skills. We operate in various arenas, including the northern region, in order to secure the security of the State of Israel."
Haifa Navy base commander Brigadier General Eli Sharvit added: "The best Iranian and Russian products are in the region that is between Syria and Lebanon, and Hezbollah's and the Syrian army's efforts to grow stronger do not stop. We are on constant alert to secure our assets. We assume that the advanced Yakhont (S-800) missiles (which were obtained by the Syrian army) have also reached the hands of Hezbollah and we are preparing for that."
Submarine fighters recently received an honor of distinction by the Navy Commander Major General Ram Rothberg for an operation they carried out in the past year. Some operations lasted weeks on end; some were executed in long ranges of thousands of kilometers.
The new submarines will allow longer stays below water, travel at long distances, and will provide the capacity to carry larger weapons. The sixth submarine is expected to debut in 2019. The Dolphin submarines, arriving from port Kiel in Germany, will be docking in the new submarine port, Polinom, located in a Navy base in Haifa.
One of the submarine's innovations is a security system that is similar to the "windbreaker" defense system that is used in tanks; the system recognizes approaching missiles and causes them to stray off course. Due to the excessive operations that the submarines (considered the IDF's most expensive craft) enable, the amount of cadets in the submarine course has been doubled.
A senior military official involved in the project noted that German manufacturers are building both new submarines exclusively and according to the demands of the Navy, in contrast to other submarines that are placed in the same shipyard for other armies.
Against the backdrop of Lebanese media reports claiming the Israeli Air force attacked a weapons convoy heading from Syria to Lebanon on Monday, a seemingly significant expression of IDF's special operations is revealed Tuesday morning.
Figures presented by a senior Navy officer indicate that 58% of submarine squadron "sea hours" last year were executed within operational activities, and the rest were used for training. In 2012, the figure in question stood at 36%, with similar figures for 2011 and 2010.
In 2013, 54 special operations were launched off the Haifa Navy base, indicating another increase in the Navy's operational activities. "We carried out thousands of submarine operational hours last year," said a senior Navy commander, who also informed that "two new Dolphin submarines arrived in Israel from Germany in the second half of the year. It is a unique tool and we are preparing it for unique skills. We operate in various arenas, including the northern region, in order to secure the security of the State of Israel."
Haifa Navy base commander Brigadier General Eli Sharvit added: "The best Iranian and Russian products are in the region that is between Syria and Lebanon, and Hezbollah's and the Syrian army's efforts to grow stronger do not stop. We are on constant alert to secure our assets. We assume that the advanced Yakhont (S-800) missiles (which were obtained by the Syrian army) have also reached the hands of Hezbollah and we are preparing for that."
Submarine fighters recently received an honor of distinction by the Navy Commander Major General Ram Rothberg for an operation they carried out in the past year. Some operations lasted weeks on end; some were executed in long ranges of thousands of kilometers.
The new submarines will allow longer stays below water, travel at long distances, and will provide the capacity to carry larger weapons. The sixth submarine is expected to debut in 2019. The Dolphin submarines, arriving from port Kiel in Germany, will be docking in the new submarine port, Polinom, located in a Navy base in Haifa.
One of the submarine's innovations is a security system that is similar to the "windbreaker" defense system that is used in tanks; the system recognizes approaching missiles and causes them to stray off course. Due to the excessive operations that the submarines (considered the IDF's most expensive craft) enable, the amount of cadets in the submarine course has been doubled.
A senior military official involved in the project noted that German manufacturers are building both new submarines exclusively and according to the demands of the Navy, in contrast to other submarines that are placed in the same shipyard for other armies.
17 feb 2014
Hebrew newspaper “Yedioth Ahronoth” said on Monday that Occupation army will deploy a new US-made robot “Talon 4” to be used by “Yahloam” special military unit to fight the alleged tunnels on the border with Gaza Strip. The robot will precede the occupation soldiers in entering the discovered tunnels for bombs presence fear.
“The new robot progressed well during the last year including discovering and fighting Gaza tunnels and was first used to inspect the recently discovered tunnel, east of Khan Younis in late 2013” the newspaper quoted occupation officers as saying.
The new robot has the ability to save the soldiers’ lives where its absence caused injuries to dozens of soldiers and officers during the operation of bombing the discovered tunnel.
Among the robot's specifications, neutralize the bombs inside tunnels and in complete darkness using its long arm, catcher and a “Zig Zaor” pistol that could be activated remotely by the robot’s operators.
The robot can take, record and send 4D high-quality pictures and deal with different obstacles inside tunnels. The occupation mechanic battalion praised the new robot saying “It can carry up to 30 KGs, endure low and high temperatures, self-destruction and working along long distances underground.
“The new robot progressed well during the last year including discovering and fighting Gaza tunnels and was first used to inspect the recently discovered tunnel, east of Khan Younis in late 2013” the newspaper quoted occupation officers as saying.
The new robot has the ability to save the soldiers’ lives where its absence caused injuries to dozens of soldiers and officers during the operation of bombing the discovered tunnel.
Among the robot's specifications, neutralize the bombs inside tunnels and in complete darkness using its long arm, catcher and a “Zig Zaor” pistol that could be activated remotely by the robot’s operators.
The robot can take, record and send 4D high-quality pictures and deal with different obstacles inside tunnels. The occupation mechanic battalion praised the new robot saying “It can carry up to 30 KGs, endure low and high temperatures, self-destruction and working along long distances underground.
9 jan 2014
Elbit's Hermes 900 drone
UN lists at least 20 countries that have purchased weapons from Israel, but are missing from the Defense Ministry report.
The government on Wednesday released a very partial list of the recipients of Israeli arms sales over the past two years, saying that Israeli weapons had been sold to Spain, the United States, Kenya, South Korea and the United Kingdom in 2011 and 2012.
The list did not include the many other states that have independently claimed to have purchased defense equipment from Israel.
The information was published in response to a court order to reveal arms sales information following a freedom of information petition from an Israeli lawyer. Israel does not normally name the states to which it sells arms and the state had previously refused to publish the information based on “security concerns.”
The state disclosed the information on Wednesday after six months of legal maneuvering. Among the previously unreleased details about Israel’s weapons exports were: In 2012, Israel had weapons deals worth $3.83 billion with Asian and Pacific states, deals worth $1.73 billion with European states, a deal worth $1.1 billion with the U.S. and deals worth $604 million and $107 million with African and Latin American states respectively.
According to the government, Wednesday’s information is based on the yearly report it makes to the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms, which receives voluntary reports from various nations on their conventional weapons imports and exports. The five states listed by the government reported the weapons deals with Israel to the UN, and thus the Israeli government was willing to disclose their identities.
“The other states that purchased security equipment from Israel chose not to report to the Register, or make official announcements of any kind, and thus the Defense Ministry cannot reveal their names due to foreign policy and national security concerns,” the state said.
However, a Haaretz investigation has revealed numerous deals that were reported to the UN but not disclosed by the Defense Ministry in response to the court order. For example, in 2012, Israel sold numerous “Spike” anti-tank missiles to Chile, but did not report the number of missiles sold. During that same year, Israel also sold 47 9mm pistols and 5,700 assault rifles to Mexico.
Between 1992 and 2009, Israel did report on its weapons exports, but only partially. In 2009, Israel reported that it sold 18 120mm mortars and three truck-mounted weapon systems to Uganda. During that same year, Israel sold 12 81 mm mortars to Botswana, and 33 mortars to Colombia. Israel also sold 30 automated 120 mm Cardom mortar systems to Portugal and as 57 120mm mortar systems to the U.S.
Israel’s weapons exports during those years were worth far more than what was reported to the UN, which means most of the deals went unreported. In many cases, it was the purchasing nations, rather than Israel, that reported the deals, such as Peru, which received 516 Spike missiles, and 48 missile launchers from Israel in 2009.
The UN reporting system also sheds light on Israel’s weapons exports over the last two decades. In the past twenty years, Israel has sold 17 tanks, 74 armed vehicles, over 8,600 artillery systems, 37 planes, ten warships, and roughly 2,500 missiles and missile launchers. This is only a partial list, as it is based on voluntary reports from various nations, including Chad, Rwanda, Lesotho, Kazakhstan, Romania, Chile, Brazil, Italy, the U.S., Vietnam, Cameroon, Uganda, India, Mexico, Spain, and Turkey.
According to figures presented to the Knesset’s state control committee by the Defense Ministry’s export supervisions division, roughly 8,000 export licenses are granted per year, meaning that Israel exports around 8,000 weapons every year.
Attorney Itai Mack, who filed the petition that led to the court order, maintains that defense exports should be public knowledge. “Early on, the government was unable to say anything, making blanket claims that could not be refuted. As time passes, we see that there are more and more details that can be revealed, and the government was simply hiding them to prevent public discourse,” said Mack.
Defense Ministry officials say they do not know why the UN website has not been updated with the frequent reports that were made to the UN over the years. The UN website lists information until late 2012, including additional reports from countries that purchased weapons from Israel. A Defense Ministry official stated that “Israel’s reports to the UN never ceased, and have been uninterrupted since 1992.”
Before its announcement Wednesday, the state said that it had “reevaluated the possibility of disclosing the names of states or organizations that receive defense equipment.”
Who does Israel sell arms to? The Defense Ministry won't tell
Even though most of them are already known, Israel refuses to disclose the full list of recipients to avoid a debate over the morality of selling arms to autocratic regimes.
The Defense Ministry objects to any transparency or openness about Israeli arms sales, despite the serious failures that have recently been revealed in its export control department, as reported in Haaretz by Gili Cohen, and the recent forced resignation of department head Meir Shalit. The ministry almost always refrains from launching criminal investigations of exporters who break the law, preferring to settle the cases with administrative fines – or in other words, behind closed doors in the Defense Ministry, without anything being revealed.
Now, the ministry is fighting a petition to the court by attorney Eitay Mack seeking publication of the names of the countries that bought arms from Israel. Its excuse, as always, is that this secrecy is necessary for security: The customers demand it, and if they don’t get it, Israel’s defense exports will be harmed. The customers can’t be asked to confirm this, since their names are classified, so the court is simply being asked to trust the ministry and reject the petition.
The ministry’s response to the court – that Israel sold arms in 2011-12 to the United States, Spain, Kenya, Britain and South Korea, but its other customers can’t be named – seems like a bad joke. First, the ministry itself boasts of the great achievements of Israel’s defense industry and the billions of dollars of business it does worldwide. Second, every international defense journal or website reports at length on the deals of Israel’s defense companies.
But you don’t even have to rely on media reports: Just a few months ago, an official British government report revealed a much longer list of countries that bought weaponry from Israeli companies. To get permits to buy British components for their products, the Israeli companies had to tell the British authorities which country was buying the product.
The British report, covering the years 2008-12, listed India, Singapore, Turkey, Vietnam, South Korea, Japan, Sweden, Portugal, United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Colombia, Holland, Italy, Germany, Spain, Thailand, Macedonia, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, Switzerland, Ecuador, Mexico, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Equatorial Guinea, Poland, Argentina and Egypt as Israeli customers. Even countries that have no official relations with Israel appeared on the list: Pakistan, Algeria, the United Arab Emirates and Morocco. The report also said Britain refused to approve components for products destined for Russia, Sri Lanka, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan. In total, that’s 41 countries, and there are others not listed in the British report.
The Defense Ministry wants to conceal the full list to avoid a public debate over the morality of selling arms to dictatorial regimes, as well as over the worrying failures of its export control division. The court must demand hard evidence that publishing the names of these countries – most of which are known anyway – will really undermine national security, and not just the bureaucratic convenience of ministry inspectors.
UN lists at least 20 countries that have purchased weapons from Israel, but are missing from the Defense Ministry report.
The government on Wednesday released a very partial list of the recipients of Israeli arms sales over the past two years, saying that Israeli weapons had been sold to Spain, the United States, Kenya, South Korea and the United Kingdom in 2011 and 2012.
The list did not include the many other states that have independently claimed to have purchased defense equipment from Israel.
The information was published in response to a court order to reveal arms sales information following a freedom of information petition from an Israeli lawyer. Israel does not normally name the states to which it sells arms and the state had previously refused to publish the information based on “security concerns.”
The state disclosed the information on Wednesday after six months of legal maneuvering. Among the previously unreleased details about Israel’s weapons exports were: In 2012, Israel had weapons deals worth $3.83 billion with Asian and Pacific states, deals worth $1.73 billion with European states, a deal worth $1.1 billion with the U.S. and deals worth $604 million and $107 million with African and Latin American states respectively.
According to the government, Wednesday’s information is based on the yearly report it makes to the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms, which receives voluntary reports from various nations on their conventional weapons imports and exports. The five states listed by the government reported the weapons deals with Israel to the UN, and thus the Israeli government was willing to disclose their identities.
“The other states that purchased security equipment from Israel chose not to report to the Register, or make official announcements of any kind, and thus the Defense Ministry cannot reveal their names due to foreign policy and national security concerns,” the state said.
However, a Haaretz investigation has revealed numerous deals that were reported to the UN but not disclosed by the Defense Ministry in response to the court order. For example, in 2012, Israel sold numerous “Spike” anti-tank missiles to Chile, but did not report the number of missiles sold. During that same year, Israel also sold 47 9mm pistols and 5,700 assault rifles to Mexico.
Between 1992 and 2009, Israel did report on its weapons exports, but only partially. In 2009, Israel reported that it sold 18 120mm mortars and three truck-mounted weapon systems to Uganda. During that same year, Israel sold 12 81 mm mortars to Botswana, and 33 mortars to Colombia. Israel also sold 30 automated 120 mm Cardom mortar systems to Portugal and as 57 120mm mortar systems to the U.S.
Israel’s weapons exports during those years were worth far more than what was reported to the UN, which means most of the deals went unreported. In many cases, it was the purchasing nations, rather than Israel, that reported the deals, such as Peru, which received 516 Spike missiles, and 48 missile launchers from Israel in 2009.
The UN reporting system also sheds light on Israel’s weapons exports over the last two decades. In the past twenty years, Israel has sold 17 tanks, 74 armed vehicles, over 8,600 artillery systems, 37 planes, ten warships, and roughly 2,500 missiles and missile launchers. This is only a partial list, as it is based on voluntary reports from various nations, including Chad, Rwanda, Lesotho, Kazakhstan, Romania, Chile, Brazil, Italy, the U.S., Vietnam, Cameroon, Uganda, India, Mexico, Spain, and Turkey.
According to figures presented to the Knesset’s state control committee by the Defense Ministry’s export supervisions division, roughly 8,000 export licenses are granted per year, meaning that Israel exports around 8,000 weapons every year.
Attorney Itai Mack, who filed the petition that led to the court order, maintains that defense exports should be public knowledge. “Early on, the government was unable to say anything, making blanket claims that could not be refuted. As time passes, we see that there are more and more details that can be revealed, and the government was simply hiding them to prevent public discourse,” said Mack.
Defense Ministry officials say they do not know why the UN website has not been updated with the frequent reports that were made to the UN over the years. The UN website lists information until late 2012, including additional reports from countries that purchased weapons from Israel. A Defense Ministry official stated that “Israel’s reports to the UN never ceased, and have been uninterrupted since 1992.”
Before its announcement Wednesday, the state said that it had “reevaluated the possibility of disclosing the names of states or organizations that receive defense equipment.”
Who does Israel sell arms to? The Defense Ministry won't tell
Even though most of them are already known, Israel refuses to disclose the full list of recipients to avoid a debate over the morality of selling arms to autocratic regimes.
The Defense Ministry objects to any transparency or openness about Israeli arms sales, despite the serious failures that have recently been revealed in its export control department, as reported in Haaretz by Gili Cohen, and the recent forced resignation of department head Meir Shalit. The ministry almost always refrains from launching criminal investigations of exporters who break the law, preferring to settle the cases with administrative fines – or in other words, behind closed doors in the Defense Ministry, without anything being revealed.
Now, the ministry is fighting a petition to the court by attorney Eitay Mack seeking publication of the names of the countries that bought arms from Israel. Its excuse, as always, is that this secrecy is necessary for security: The customers demand it, and if they don’t get it, Israel’s defense exports will be harmed. The customers can’t be asked to confirm this, since their names are classified, so the court is simply being asked to trust the ministry and reject the petition.
The ministry’s response to the court – that Israel sold arms in 2011-12 to the United States, Spain, Kenya, Britain and South Korea, but its other customers can’t be named – seems like a bad joke. First, the ministry itself boasts of the great achievements of Israel’s defense industry and the billions of dollars of business it does worldwide. Second, every international defense journal or website reports at length on the deals of Israel’s defense companies.
But you don’t even have to rely on media reports: Just a few months ago, an official British government report revealed a much longer list of countries that bought weaponry from Israeli companies. To get permits to buy British components for their products, the Israeli companies had to tell the British authorities which country was buying the product.
The British report, covering the years 2008-12, listed India, Singapore, Turkey, Vietnam, South Korea, Japan, Sweden, Portugal, United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Colombia, Holland, Italy, Germany, Spain, Thailand, Macedonia, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, Switzerland, Ecuador, Mexico, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Equatorial Guinea, Poland, Argentina and Egypt as Israeli customers. Even countries that have no official relations with Israel appeared on the list: Pakistan, Algeria, the United Arab Emirates and Morocco. The report also said Britain refused to approve components for products destined for Russia, Sri Lanka, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan. In total, that’s 41 countries, and there are others not listed in the British report.
The Defense Ministry wants to conceal the full list to avoid a public debate over the morality of selling arms to dictatorial regimes, as well as over the worrying failures of its export control division. The court must demand hard evidence that publishing the names of these countries – most of which are known anyway – will really undermine national security, and not just the bureaucratic convenience of ministry inspectors.
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