Israel Matzav

US embargo of Israel during Protective Edge was total

I only have this story in Hebrew (link here) (Hat Tip: David K). Maariv is reporting that the US arms embargo on Israel was worse than previously reported, and the result is that Israel will transfer the manufacture of sensitive weapons to Israel rather than having them manufactured in the US, despite the fact that this will cost Israel more money because it cannot use American aid money for items manufactured in Israel.

You might recall that the US stopped shipments of hellfire missiles to Israel during Operation Protective Edge. Maariv now reports that for 'days' the US totally cut off all communications with the Israeli Defense Ministry purchasing agent in the US.

The cutoff started ten days after the war began(!) when the Obama administration decided that too many civilians were being killed in Gaza.

Maariv reports that the order to cut off supplies came from the White House itself and that similar cutoffs happened in 1982 (First Lebanon War) and 1973 (Yom Kippur War).

However, the US continued its strategic cooperation with Israel, and did allow Israel to use weapons that were stored in Israel.

For those who read Hebrew, read the whole thing. I don't have time now to translate.

Shabbat Shalom. 

UPDATE SUNDAY 11:44 AM

I have now been told that this was not from Maariv, that the NRG website is now owned by Israel HaYom and that it acts de facto as the front page of Makor Rishon.

Labels: arms embargo, Barack Hussein Obama, Gaza, Hamas, Hellfire missiles, IDF, Operation Protective Edge, US-Israel relationship

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 5:30 PM