— Foreign Minister Yitzhak Shamir declared today that proposed U.S. sales of sophisticated weapons to Saudi Arabia could “cloud” relations between the U.S. and Israel. He warned that an arms sale escalation in the region could eventually cause “an explosion.”
Speaking in the Knesset, Shamir noted, though, that the U.S. had recently pledged to boost Israel’s own military strength, and its economic stability, and said detailed talks would soon begin between officials of the two countries on how those pledges were to be implemented.
In his statement to the Knesset on reported imminent U.S.-Saudi deals Shamir was referring to the proposed U.S. sale of offensive attachments for Saudi Arabia’s F-15 warplanes, due to be delivered this year, and also to the reported U.S. consideration of the sale of advanced AWACS intelligence and control planes. The Israeli Foreign Minister warned that Israel would not be able to keep up with the regional arms race if systems of this cost and sophistication were supplied to its enemies.
EBAN WARNS AGAINST ARMS DEAL
Top Labor Party foreign affairs spokesman Abba Eban charged that the government had “reconciled itself” to the proposed U.S.-Saudi arms deal (for offensive attachments to the F-15 war-plane Eban added that there was no real “understanding” between Washington and Jerusalem–and it was for that reason that Premier Menachem Begin had not been invited to summit talks in Washington this spring.
Eban said the supply of AWACS to Saudi-Arabia would mean a serious weakening of Israel’s defensive capability. The Saudis would be able to “scan and peer into” Israel from the planes, he said. Many other Knesset members from both major parties faulted the government for not sounding more forceful in its public opposition to the U.S.-Saudi arms deals.
Leaked reports from yesterday’s Cabinet meeting said Shamir had told his ministerial colleagues that Israel had no official U.S. confirmation of the reported AWACS deal. Israel’s Embassy had been instructed to seek information, and had reported back to Jerusalem that no firm decision had been made in Washington.
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