TEL AVIV — Israeli customs authorities found night-vision systems and
other dual-use equipment in a container sent from China and bound for the
Gaza Strip. The shipment arrived to the Israeli port of Ashdod, where the
military equipment was identified Tuesday by a scanner system.
Officials said Israeli customs authorities have been on alert for
attempts to ship combat and dual-use equipment to the Palestinian Authority, Middle East Newsline reported.
Officials said the Palestinian importer claimed that the Chinese
shipment contained hats and clocks. Instead, they said, customs officers
found 300 telescopes, including those with infrared sights meant for assault
weapons.
"We are speaking of a quantity that could upgrade the fighting ability
of an entire brigade in the PA security forces," an official was quoted by
the Israeli news website Ynet as saying. "A
telescope of this kind, fitted on an M-16 rifle, for example, improves the
lethality of the weapon."
Officials said several allies of the PA have sought to export this equipment
under the guise of civilian goods to Palestinian security forces.
Israel has banned the shipment of military equipment to PA security
forces amid their refusal to disarm insurgency groups. China and Russia have
sought to sell weapons and platforms to the PA, but Moscow suspended the
plans amid Israeli and U.S. pressure.
