Israel Reportedly Halted Sale of Iron-Dome Technology to Ukraine

Feb. 24 2022

Last spring, the Ukrainian government asked the Biden administration to transfer Iron Dome and Patriot defense missiles to Ukraine. The transaction would have required approval by both the U.S. and Israel, as the Iron Dome is a joint Israeli-American project. At the time, Israel reportedly declined to sign off on the deal. The Times of Israel reports:

Israeli officials reportedly made it clear to the U.S. administration in informal talks that it wouldn’t agree to the transfer of Iron Dome batteries to Kyiv, fearing it would hurt its relations with Russia, especially in light of Moscow’s influence over Syria.

The Ukrainians, in turn, have in recent months made direct requests to the Israeli government and asked for officials to approve the sale.

Convinced by Israel’s arguments, the U.S. dropped the transfer of both Iron Dome and Patriot missiles. The Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba said last Wednesday that his country was seeking greater cooperation with Israel on air-defense technology amid fears of a Russian invasion. An Israel TV report specified that Ukraine has been in contact with Israel regarding the Iron Dome missile-defense system, other missile-warning technologies, and cyber-defense technology.

Read more at Times of Israel

More about: Iron Dome, U.S. Foreign policy, US-Israel relations, War in Ukraine

Expand Gaza into Sinai

Feb. 11 2025

Calling the proposal to depopulate Gaza completely (if temporarily) “unworkable,” Peter Berkowitz makes the case for a similar, but more feasible, plan:

The United States along with Saudi Arabia and the UAE should persuade Egypt by means of generous financial inducements to open the sparsely populated ten-to-fifteen miles of Sinai adjacent to Gaza to Palestinians seeking a fresh start and better life. Egypt would not absorb Gazans and make them citizens but rather move Gaza’s border . . . westward into Sinai. Fences would be erected along the new border. The Israel Defense Force would maintain border security on the Gaza-extension side, Egyptian forces on the other. Egypt might lease the land to the Palestinians for 75 years.

The Sinai option does not involve forced transfer of civilian populations, which the international laws of war bar. As the United States, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and other partners build temporary dwellings and then apartment buildings and towns, they would provide bus service to the Gaza-extension. Palestinian families that choose to make the short trip would receive a key to a new residence and, say, $10,000.

The Sinai option is flawed. . . . Then again, all conventional options for rehabilitating and governing Gaza are terrible.

Read more at RealClear Politics

More about: Donald Trump, Egypt, Gaza Strip, Sinai Peninsula