US up in arms over Sino-Israel ties

[Tinoire]

US up in arms over Sino-Israel ties
By Sudha Ramachandran

BANGALORE - Israel's relationship with its closest ally, the United States, seems to have hit a rough patch, with Washington apparently upset with Israel's clandestine dealings with China. The spat is not new, however. It has its roots in a decade-old issue. Old suspicions have returned. It is an explosion into the public domain of a row that has been going on for a few years.

The quarrel is over Israel's alleged concealing from Washington of an upgrade of a major weapons system it sold to China more than a decade ago. The United States claims that by upgrading the system, Israel violated its commitment not to transfer US technology to China without Washington's permission. Israel, however, insists that the upgrade was really just routine maintenance of a system that had originally been sold to China with US approval.

What appears to have propelled this simmering tension into the open is a clash of personalities. According to reports in the media, US Under Secretary of Defense Doug Feith believes that Israeli Defense Ministry director general Amos Yaron misled him on the arms sale to China. On Wednesday, Israeli media reported that Feith had demanded Yaron's resignation (the Pentagon has subsequently denied this).

This clash of personalities is a minor matter and can be sorted out. That is not the case with the underlying issue of concern to the US - Sino-Israel military cooperation.

Israel is China's second-largest arms supplier (the first being Russia). Although diplomatic relations between Israel and China were established only in 1992, military ties go back to the early 1980s. Until formal diplomatic ties were established, the military relationship was covert. Israel sold about US$4 billion worth of arms to China during the covert courtship. In the 1990s, the Sino-Israel military relationship grew rapidly. In fact, arms sales contributed to the strengthening of diplomatic engagement.

(reluctant snip)

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/FL21Ak01.html

[jellybelly]

1. Shocking!

The US believes a well-paid ally is a good ally. Dumbasses.

[Demeter]

2. What? Did DC Think They Owned China and Israel?

Rather the other way around, I think. Especially now, at least as far as China owning the US goes....

[DireStrike]

3. I thought we wanted free markets?

[Anakin Skywalker]

7. Heh Heh Heh! Good Question.

[cornfedyank]

4. june 8, 1967.....u.s.s. liberty

http://www.ussliberty.org/

israel hedges it's bet. just to make sure.

[Sara Beverley]

5. While we wage war, the rest of the world wages our demise.

Who will save us from this evil empire?

[Sara Beverley]

6. All China needs to do now is to begin heavy trading with Cuba.

Bush the uninter.

[leesa]

8. Woo Hoo!! Jilted lover! Things are heating up in this triangle.

[Tinoire]

10. Stop it Leesa. No laughter allowed

:spank:

Thanks for making me laugh before going to bed!

[Calico Jack Rackham]

9. We gave the Israelis the F-16

they renamed it the Lavi Fighter and sold it to the Chinese. Hell, they were going to sell them the AWACS until Clinton threatened to cut off their ammo supplies.

[Voltaire99]

11. Good! Let China underwrite Israel for a change.

As the Chinese economy grows and the US economy contracts, Israel really should look for another sugar daddy.