Israel's suicide drone sales to China puts Tel Aviv in awkward bind with US
The arrests come at a bad time for Israel, with the US increasingly hawkish on China and the fourth early elections in two years to be held for the Israeli premiership at the end of the month.
A group of over 20 Israelis, including former defence
officials, were arrested by Israel’s secret police (ISA) for illegally selling
suicide drones to China.
According to the Law For Oversight of Defense Exports,
Israel’s Ministry of Defense is required to consult with the Foreign Ministry
for weapons sales to any country. This allows Israel to mitigate harm to its
foreign policy and international ties.
A previous attempt at selling intelligence collection drones
to China was cancelled due to US pressure.
This comes nearly a month after three legal sales of the
same weapon were sold to Asian nations. Within Israel, a gag order is in
effect.
The revelation comes from investigative journalist Richard
Silverstein’s blog, which has been reporting on the details of the sale since
February 11.
Silverstein notes this isn’t the only time Israel has
attempted defence sales to China, only to earn the United State’s ire.
Unmentioned was the relatively little regulation governing
Israel’s defence industry. Israel’s historic record of arms sales shows little
concern with human rights records.
The most recent sale of ‘loitering’ suicide drones is the
second such deal made between the two nations, with the first taking place in
1998. The ‘Kamikaze’ drones are manufactured by local defence giants Rafael and
Israeli Aerospace Industries.
Suicide drones, or ‘loitering munitions as they are
technically known, are a hybrid between drones and guided missiles. They are
defined by being able to ‘loiter’ in the air for a long period of time, before
striking a target entering a pre-defined zone or waiting for human guidance.
Euphemistically described as a ‘fire-and-forget’ weapon, the
Israeli Aerospace Industries’ Harop autonomously attacks any target meeting
previously identified criteria, but includes a ‘man-in-the-loop’ feature that
allows a human to technically prevent an attack from taking place without
approval.
Given the cutting-edge nature of autonomous weapon
platforms, there is little in the way of international law regulating their
production or sale.
Necropolitics
In his paper “The Necropolitics of Drones” Dr. Jamie
Allinson says suicide drones give powerful military commanders the one weapon
don’t already own. For most leadership, suicide drones are the perfect soldier.
They never know reluctance or fear, and can hold a position for hours waiting
for its chance to take others with it.
Allinson goes on to argue that the suicide drone and human
suicide bomber cause the same level of terror rooted in the lack of warning.
To boost sales, Israeli aerospace companies have sold the
story that they’re well acquainted with suicide bombings. Another trademark of
Israeli defence offerings is the notion that their weapons are ‘battle-proven’.
The implications were rarely voiced. Israeli defence sale
pitches don’t often admit they saw testing first and foremost on occupied
Palestinians.
Bad timing
In recent years, Israel's defence spending has been
shrinking slowly. Israel was formerly allowed to reinvest nearly a quarter of
US defence spending into its own defence industries.
This came to an end after 2016, when the terms of the
agreement were rebalanced by former US President Barack Obama. Coupled with a
flagging economy and elected leader facing multiple charges of corruption,
Israel’s security establishment seems overtaxed.
The most recent scandal has far-reaching implications on
US-Israeli cooperation, particularly after the hawkish stance taken by Biden’s
administration on China. This has prompted fears that Israel finds itself in an
awkward bind with the new administration, even if it will only earn them a slap
on the wrist
The US maintains strict regulations for military aid sent to
Israel, which make it illegal to transfer US technology, compete with US
defence companies, and spend the majority of the aid on US defence products.
This comes ahead of Israel’s early elections set for the end
of March, after the coalition government failed to approve a budget. This would
be the fourth such election held in four years.
Suicide drones have been in the international spotlight
since Azerbaijan made use of Israeli loitering munitions in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict to great effect. But even their involvement was later deemed
questionable.
In 2017, Israeli company Aeronautics Limited was charged
with fraud and violation of Azerbaijan’s export control laws. This came after
Israeli members of the company “demonstrated” the effectiveness of their
suicide drone with an actual strike on Armenian soldiers in the region.
The relatively small number of members also raises concerns
over the growing ease with which militias and non-state actors are adopting
suicide drone technology, most recently in Yemen.
It remains to be seen how Biden’s new administration will
respond to news of the illegal sale with China.
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