U.S. to restore Israeli defense ties with Gates visit
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SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Monday, April 16, 2007
WASHINGTON — The United States has agreed to improve
defense relations with Israel.
Officials said the Bush administration plans to send Defense Secretary
Robert Gates to Israel this week. Gates was scheduled to arrive in the
Jewish state on April 17 for meetings on strategic issues with his
counterpart, Defense Minister Amir Peretz and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
The Gates visit was said to have signaled the lifting of U.S. sanctions
on Israel in wake of an unmanned aerial vehicle upgrade project for China in
2004.
This would be the first time since 1999 that a U.S. defense secretary
visited Israel. Gates's predecessor, Donald Rumsfeld, toured the Middle East
several times, but never entered Israel. In June 2006, Rumsfeld was meant to
visit Israel, but this was canceled at the last minute, Middle East Newsline reported.
The Pentagon, angered that Israel tried to conceal the project,
severed high-level ties, blocked sensitive exports and denied Israel access
to the Joint Strike Fighter program. Israel was not believed to have
completed the Harpy UAV upgrade for Beijing.
In September 2005, Israel and the United States agreed to consult on
proposed arms exports by the Jewish state. Israel also pledged to make its
export approval process transparent, legislation that has not yet been
approved by the Knesset.
Officials said Gates was expected to discuss a proposed U.S. arms sale
to Saudi Arabia. They said Peretz and other senior Israeli officials have
warned that Saudi requests for advanced F-15 and F-16 fighter-jets as well
as air-to-ground weaponry could erode Israel's qualitative military edge
over its Arab neighbors. Congress has also expressed concern over the
proposed Saudi deal.
"We expect there will be sweeteners to overcome Israeli objections [to
the Saudi deal]," an official said. "There are quite a few things in the
pipeline that have been held up."
The official did not elaborate. But defense sources cited Israel's
requests for advanced airborne weapons and technology, approval for Israeli
subsystems on the F-35, and an expanded intelligence exchange on threats in
the Middle East.
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