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Israel objects to advanced weapons sales to Arabs
JPost Reg ReqâdIsrael needs to raise its voice against advance weapons sales by the United States to Egypt and Saudi Arabia, Yuval Steinitz, chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee said Thursday. Steinitz said he has raised the matter with American security officials and warned that reducing the qualitative balance Israel holds over Egypt and Saudi Arabia would destabilized the region. Why would we send JDAM technology to these asshats? Army radio said that Israel is interested in blocking specifically the sale of JADAM (joint direct attack munitions) to Egypt. These would allow Egyptian bombers to have greater all-weather accuracy with the fire and forget guidance kits. Israel already has these weapons. Speaking to The Jerusalem Post Thursday, Steinitz said Israel need to object to sophisticated weapons sales to Egypt and Saudi Arabia in principle. and logic - these are not our friends - how long before Iran and Pakland have âem? He said that Israel had long ago conceded on the matter of platforms, watching the US supply Egypt with F-16 aircraft, Abrahams M1 tanks, and modern battleships. "But at least when it comes to electronics and missiles let us keep the technological edge," Steinitz said. "I think the Americans need to be very careful in arming Egypt. "They had this concept that arming Egypt would serve as a counterbalance to Iraq and Iran. I think that a strong Egypt is a danger to the stability of the region." "The Egyptians are trying to procure various weaponry, including the Longbow helicopter and other items I donât want to go into right now," Steinitz said. Steinitz wrote in a recent op-ed in The Jerusalem Post that the plan to sell Egypt the sophisticated Harpoon Block II anti-ship missile could be used as a sea-to-land cruise missile with a 160 kilometer range. This would put most of the strategic targets in Israel in range of the mighty Egyptian fleet. According to published notifications to Congress of pending US arms transfer, Egypt is seeking 414 AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, 459 Hellfire missiles, 53 RGM 84-L-4 Harpoon Block II antiship missiles, 26 extended range-multiple launch rocket systems, Apache Longbow attack helicopters, AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles and electronic intelligence systems for C-130 aircraft. get âem from the Paleos thru the arms-smuggling tunnels youâve allowed, assholes While some defense officials have warned that speaking of Egypt as an enemy risks turning them into one, Steinitz declared that this was moot since Egypt was already one of the most virulent states against Israel. call a spade... "Egypt is a hostile country. It is full of incitement de-legitimizing Zionism and the Jewish state no less than the incitement we see in the Palestinian Authority. This should be setting off red lights for us," Steinitz said. He dismissed criticism that such public talk was damaging to quiet efforts to slow down and dilute advance weapon sales to Egypt and Saudi Arabia. "I donât think that there is damage here. "We canât put our heads in the sand. When President Mubarak tells the EU that what the Hamas is doing is not terror then that is hostility. When they are de-legitimizing the right of Israel that is hostility. When Egyptian TV is referring to the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, that is hostility." Steinitz said he was careful not to speak of Egypt as an "enemy," but more as a "threat." "Just as the Americans speak of China as a threat," he said. "Egypt is a very hostile state and we canât deny this. Letâs not kid ourselves, when the Egyptians hold their large exercises their simulated enemy is a "small nation to the north." Steinitz said he believes that the moment the Egyptians evaluate, whether rightly or wrongly, that the former equilibrium has collapsed - the moment they estimate that an Egyptian-led coalition could challenge Israel without risking a defeat - the pathway will be open to a general conflagration, or, at least, to the creation of brinkmanship situations. I like this guy Steinitz! Posted by: Frank G 2003-10-16 |
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