Israeli official resigns over military hardware sale to China

Want China Times, Staff Reporter 2013-12-26

China's foreign minister Wang Yi speaks in Jerusalem on Dec. 18, a sign of
the closer ties between China and Israel. (Photo/Xinhua)

Senior Israeli official Meir Shalit resigned from his position as head of defense exports at the nation's defense ministry for selling military equipment to China, according to Arutz Sheva, an English-language internet news website based in Israel.

Shalit voluntary announced his resignation last week after the United States found out via an investigation that the transfer of the equipment took place with his approval. The controversy has arisen due to different interpretations regarding the sale of the equipment to China, though the Israeli authorities said that all sensitive components of the equipment had been removed and held in Europe before the transfer took place.

The United States said the equipment Israel sent to China may eventually be used to help Iran to gain the technology it needs to design ballistic missiles with the capability to carry nuclear warhead, a development that would clearly not be in Israel's interests. This is a direct violation of the promise Israel gave to the United States not to sell weapons system to China. As one of China's most important suppliers of advanced military technology, Israel was pressured by the United States to cancel its sale of the Phalcon airborne radar system to China.

Arutz Sheva said Israel had to pay US$00 million to China in compensation since the latter planned to develop its early warning aircraft with the radar system. Amos Yaron, the director general of Israeli defense ministry, was also forced to resign after the nation was discovered to have sold unmanned aerial vehicles to China back in 2005. As Israel strengthens its political and economical ties with China, military cooperation between the two nations has become an increasingly sensitive topic for Washington.