Published originally under the title “Israel Air Defense Again in Spotlight as West Promises Ukraine Defenses.”
Israel is again being singled out as a country that could be doing more for Ukraine in the wake of the Russian bombardment of Ukrainian cities using drones and missiles.
The Washington Post noted this week that “as missiles strike Ukraine, Israel won’t sell its vaunted air defense.” This adds to a chorus of voices who have wondered since the war began whether Israel would supply air defenses to Ukraine. Some of the criticism is uniquely aimed at Israel, with references to the Holocaust and other claims that the Jewish state must send defenses.
The demand for air defenses for Ukraine is shifting because, in the early days of the war, the suggestion that Israel would step forward and go beyond what the US and Western countries were doing didn’t make sense. However, now more than six months into the war, as the West appears to unite to aid Kyiv’s air defenses, there are questions that will continue to focus on Israel.
Fact or fiction?
It’s worthwhile to look at some of the facts regarding Israel’s air defense systems, which are some of the most sophisticated, integrated ones in the world. This is a result of three decades of investment and unique cooperation between Washington and Jerusalem.
Back in the 1990s, Israel faced threats from Iraq in the form of the Scud missile. Israel had faced missiles before that as well, such as threats from terror groups in Lebanon, or from other states. As rockets improved and as countries like Iran improved their own missiles by learning from Russian, Chinese and North Korean designs, the threat shifted.
Later it shifted even more as Hamas in Gaza improved its rockets so that ranges increased from one to dozens of kilometers. This meant that all of Israel was soon within range of Hezbollah and Hamas rockets – and Iran’s ballistic missile threat was rapidly expanding. Then, in the last several years, the drone threat emerged, as well as the threat of precision munitions, such as precision-guided munitions (PGMs) and cruise missiles.
Israel has often been one step ahead of its enemies in fielding air defenses. At first, it had to rely on systems like the US Patriot. That system had many problems in the 1990s but was improved. Washington and Jerusalem partnered on the Arrow program and later David’s Sling, which led to the multi-layered system that exists today.
It was Israel that pioneered the Iron Dome system, which has defended Israel and intercepted thousands of rockets for more than a decade. It has been improved to take out drones and other threats; it is also funded with US support. Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems works with Raytheon in the US, while the US army has acquired two batteries of Iron Dome. The system, which has a naval version as well, will soon have lasers added to it.
Israeli companies make other air defense systems, such as the Barak system. According to reports in February, Morocco purchased Barak, and Haaretz reported that Vietnam was interested in the system in August. The Indian navy has also used the Barak system, and the Indian army also uses the MRSAM (Medium-Range Surface-to-Air Missile) system, which is based on it. In September, reports said that Rafael was prepared to sell its Spyder air defense to the UAE.
This illustrates the range of Israeli air defenses. From short-range systems such as Iron Dome to long-range ones such as the Arrow and its various versions, Israel can stop all kinds of threats. Some of these systems might be relevant for Ukraine, but not all of them.
The many issues involved
There are multiple issues involved in a potential Israeli export of defense systems to Ukraine, or of countries that use Israeli systems exporting their versions to the besieged Eastern European country.
That means that it’s not a simple question of Israel shipping David’s Sling to Ukraine, or putting Iron Domes on a plane to Poland. David’s Sling, for instance, can be used with launchers that use MIM 104 Patriot missiles; it was also meant to replace the Hawk air defense system. So some of these systems are not necessarily relevant for Ukraine because a simpler one already exists that Washington can send to Kyiv.
Basically, questions about Israel sending David’s Sling are redundant, since the US can send Patriot batteries to Ukraine. David’s Sling and Iron Dome interceptors are produced with Raytheon in the US under the name SkyCeptor and SkyHunter, So America is already making parts of these systems.
On another level, the Arrow system may not be appropriate for Ukraine because the US has a system called THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) which it could supply to Kyiv. That Washington hasn’t sent such advanced systems means there is no logical reason for Israel to send them and go beyond the US mandate.
America sells the THAAD to the UAE, Patriots to the Saudis and the NASAMS (National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System) to Kuwait. These are all potentially relevant for Ukraine. There’s no reason that Israel would duplicate this effort or go beyond the US and Western countries and their decisions.
Beyond the question of Israeli systems being tied into or backed by the US – and thus Washington having some say in the matter – there is the larger question of the Jewish state not wanting to get militarily involved in the Ukraine conflict.
Israel has concerns about Russia and its air defenses in Syria, which impacts policymaking in regard to Ukraine. Moscow has S-300s and S-400s in Syria, and Israel and Russia have deconfliction agreements regarding Israel’s northern enemy amid Jerusalem’s war between the wars campaign against Iran’s trafficking of weapons to Syria. So Israeli air defense systems in Ukraine would clearly provoke Moscow.
On the other hand, the American and wider European effort to now supply Ukraine with air defenses may provide some cover for Israel in this respect, if those countries want to supply systems that have an Israel connection. A spotlight on Israel regarding the air defenses, therefore, seems misplaced. While Ukraine wants air defenses, the West has been hesitant to supply its most complex and modern systems.
Demands that Israel goes beyond what the West is doing seem to be more about headlines than analysis and understanding of the complexities of the Israeli systems and their tie-in, in some cases, with the US and existing Western systems.
Seth Frantzman is a Ginsburg-Milstein Writing Fellow at the Middle East Forum and senior Middle East correspondent at The Jerusalem Post.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/netanyahu-reveals-israeli-arms-exports-have-been-used-against-idf-in-syria/
Not even the best result of selling or giving Israeli protection systems to Ukraine would make that gift worth while. Essentially, Zelenskyy has been asking everybody to provide their best weaponry so that those countries can then be required to also provide the personell to handle to good stuff. That would make each and every contributor a party to this unneeded war against Russia, which is why the best they ever get is second class stuff.
Edgar
“and not least, there are 6 million Jews , a tiny minority, living in the US.
It’s not hard to believe that some kind of reprisals would be taken against them, or at least some of them. Especially the 20-30% for whom Israel is important.”
Excellent point! And not just in the US but also in the Ukraine and in every place where hysterical pro-Ukraine neo-McCarthyism has erupted.
Three of many examples:
“Controversy as young Russian pianists banned from international music competitions”
10 March 2022, 17:10 | Updated: 10 March 2022, 17:25
“Carnegie Hall cancels appearances by pro-Putin musicians
As war in Ukraine rages, activists put pressure on artists to denounce the invasion or face cancellation
Image without a caption
By Kelsey Ables
February 26, 2022 at 5:04 p.m. EST
Ukrainian man stabbed for ‘being Russian’ after bizarre translation test at Brooklyn bar
By Gabrielle Fonrouge
May 3, 2022 7:05pm Updated
https://www.washingtonpost.com/music/2022/02/26/carnegie-hall-valery-gergiev/
https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/instruments/piano/young-russians-banned-international-competitions/
https://nypost.com/2022/05/03/ukrainian-man-stabbed-for-speaking-russian-in-brooklyn-bar-brawl/
We are already seeing the beginnings of that with Jews on many college campuses.
https://operawire.com/valery-gergievs-concerts-in-japan-canceled/
@Edgar
Excellent point! And not just in the US but also in the Ukraine and in every place where hysterical pro-Ukraine neo-McCarthyism has erupted.
Three of many examples:
“Controversy as young Russian pianists banned from international music competitions”
10 March 2022, 17:10 | Updated: 10 March 2022, 17:25
“Carnegie Hall cancels appearances by pro-Putin musicians
As war in Ukraine rages, activists put pressure on artists to denounce the invasion or face cancellation
Image without a caption
By Kelsey Ables
February 26, 2022 at 5:04 p.m. EST
Ukrainian man stabbed for ‘being Russian’ after bizarre translation test at Brooklyn bar
By Gabrielle Fonrouge
May 3, 2022 7:05pm Updated
https://www.washingtonpost.com/music/2022/02/26/carnegie-hall-valery-gergiev/9
https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/instruments/piano/young-russians-banned-international-competitions/
https://nypost.com/2022/05/03/ukrainian-man-stabbed-for-speaking-russian-in-brooklyn-bar-brawl/
We are already seeing the beginnings of that with Jews on many college campuses.
Edgar, I agree with all you’ve said here. Concerning US-Israeli relations, the situation is fragile. The Republicans (now mostly MAGA) generally support Israel, and the Democrats largely oppose her; but everyone, from both parties, is under duress, a duress intentionally put upon them by the Globalist schemers. We are no longer dealing here with pro- and anti-Israel lobbies, but with varying degrees of insanity.
Peloni, Israel may have no interests in the Russia vs. NATO struggle in the Ukraine; but I candidly think their industrialists have more to gain from Zelenskyy, crude insults and all, than they have from Putin. That’s just a callous money call, of course — which seems to be the only calls with any weight in that area.
I’m personally much more concerned with China, of course, than with Ukraine. In that scene, it’s heartening to see the people continuing to show spunk against the monster Xi:
Vivarto-
Russia and America are basically enemies. They are each pushing for hegemony on a global scale the US more than Russia. With Russia, it’s America and past antagonisms linger, it’s a knee jerk action.
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It has been only America, and the Jewish influence on the politicians which US Jews amply fund, which has pushed the US to vetos at the UN.
If Israel cut itself off from the US, to the extent you suggest, it would be free floating in space, at the mercy of any roaming air current. It would have no protection at the UN, and not least, there are 6 million Jews , a tiny minority, living in the US.
It’s not hard to believe that some kind of reprisals would be taken against them, or at least some of them. Especially the 20-30% for whom Israel is important. Jews, always a minority-except in Israel, are really not safe anywhere, as things change, like the weather. The US Govt, would not even have to actively do anything. There would be sections of the people who would show open Jew-Hate without any restrictions on their behaviour, as there is now.
From Arutz
So a govt which has been held in place under the protection and coercion of actual Nazi troops for 8yrs is going to lecture Israel on what the wrong side of history might be? Recall that Podolyak described the Azov fighters at Azovstahl as “heroes” and that these state sanctioned Nazi forces, along with others there, “have become a living symbol of Ukraine” even as they held civilians there as human shields as part of their bunker defenses. The confession within this statement does speak to the moral compass by which Podolyak currently condemns Israel.
Podolyak’s lament over his countries inabilty to sustain its marshal successes, such as they are, should lead him to advocate for a settlement and an end of this war, and not to demand those nations whose interests neither align with Ukraine nor against Russia to support the Ukraine war effort. This is not an Israeli war, nor one which she should feel any sense of obligation to offer support to a nation such as Ukraine, which has failed to vote in support of Israel on a single occasion in all 127 resolutions raised against the Jewish State before the UN – just one more piece of evidence where Ukraine has shown that their values do not align with that of the Jewish State.
If Israel sold weapons to Ukraine, it would not only mean a severing of relations with the Rus, but active aid to Israel’s deadliest enemies of which there are not just a few.
Putin is in a war which has turned put to be a PR disaster for him, and in no mood to be lenient to any perceived antagonist.
And for Israel to sell weapons to Russia as Vivarto suggests, is like hauling coals to Newcastle. They don’t NEED weapons. And the position of the 300.000 Jews in Ukraine would be extremely imperiled. I don’t know why there are any there at all, given Ukraine’s centuries long persecutions of Jews in large quantities.
@Vivarto You want Israel to sell arms to Iran’s military and strategic ally? That would amount to Israel selling Israeli arms to Iran to use against Israel.
@Vivarto All other issues aside, will the US continue to shield Israel from international sanctions if it openly sides with America’s declared enemy number one and in wartime with a mass psychosis fueled McCarthyism in place ? Has Israel taken the kind of steps that Russia has over the years to weather possible sanctions? Israel has been decoupling from China for that reason. It’s one thing to risk sanctions over sovereignty – which Israel isn’t doing either – but over this?
Not even Lapid is that stupid and he has said so. Putin announced he will sever diplomatic relations with Israel if that happens and that means Russia will actively fight Israel in Syria. Putin doesn’t bluff. He means what he says. He’s followed up on every threat. As did Trump who carried out the threat Obama made but did not follow through on in Syria. Leaders who make empty threats quickly become laughing stocks the way Obama did.
seymour The Russians treated the Jews more kindly?
“References to the Holocaust” are idiotic given enthusiastic collaboration by the Ukraine with Nazi Germany.
Israel should sell weapon systems to Russia.
Israel should join forces with Russia and India and produce weapon systems.
Russian airplanes are excellent and cost 1/3 the price of American competitors. Electronics and stealth is the only area where they are inferior to their American counterparts, and that’s the area where Israel could help.
Such cooperation would mean hundreds of billions of Dollars in weapon sales.
Of course Israel should not be inimical to America, only independent.
If Israel is independent America will be MORE supportive, not less. Just like after 1967 America became very supportive because Israel was strong and independent.
Israel must resist all pressures to send military aid to Ukraine. Israel has many interests, but none of them align with arming or defending Ukraine.