Negev Summit: Arab Envoys Inquired About Procuring Israeli Defense Systems
Iranian and Russian threats draw international interest in Israeli military systems.
By Pesach Benson, United With Israel
The foreign ministers of Morocco, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates all inquired about procuring Israeli defense systems during the historic Negev summit, Globes reported on Monday.
The unprecedented gathering in Sde Boker was primarily intended to strengthen a regional alliance against Iran as the U.S. finalizes a nuclear agreement with Tehran. Also present were Egypt’s foreign minister and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
According to Globes, Bahrain and the Emirates specifically asked about Iron Dome, the Arrow system for defense against ballistic missiles, and the Green Pine radar system.
The Iron Dome is produced by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Elta Systems, both of which are government-owned. Individual Iron Dome systems are said to cost tens of millions of dollars while the interceptor missiles cost $50,000 apiece.
Israel and the U.S. developed the Iron Dome and the agreement requires mutual consent for the system to be delivered to a third party.
The Arrow system was developed to intercept and destroy ballistic missiles, even in space. It is manufactured by Israeli Aerospace Industries with certain parts produced by the U.S.-based Boeing.
The Green Pine radar system is capable of detecting and tracking dozens of ballistic missiles over long ranges — including in adverse weather conditions. Produced by Elta, Green Pine has already been exported to India, South Korea and Azerbaijan.
Globes added that the Arab requests are not new, but under the circumstances of the Negev summit, “a considerable number” are expected to receive government approval. Israel is discussing the sales with the U.S. which was a party to the development of many of the requested systems.
Iran isn’t the only threat drawing international interest towards Israeli defense technology. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, European countries are interested in upgrading their militaries with Israeli technology. During his recent visit Jerusalem, German chancellor Olaf Scholz inquired about Iron Dome and Green Pine.
Other countries in closer proximity to Russia have already raised their defense spending and are looking to bolster their electronic warfare and communications systems, drones and anti-tank capabilities.
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