Outgoing Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Arens is postponing a decision on whether to buy fighter jets from U.S. manufacturer Lockheed Martin or the rival Boeing company. Prior to making a decision, Arens plans to confer with Prime Minister-elect Ehud Barak, who asked to be briefed about the purchase. In what would be the largest military purchase in Israel’s history, the air force has recommended buying 50 F-16 jets from Lockheed at a cost of $2.5 billion, with the purchase of an additional 60 jet fighters by 2008.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.