Israeli arms sales decline in Singapore

Texcoco II SG

Quite old news but still interesting

ISRAELI defence officials are predicting a significant downturn among its major customers, particularly in East Asia according to a Jane's Defence Weekly report.

The biggest change will take place in Singapore, Israel's largest customer for a decade, which has now allowed Western and regional competitors to obtain a larger slice of the market, the report said.

The reason for the Israeli decline in Singapore, the sources said, is a new leadership in Singapore that has opened up the once-secretive military establishment and has invited competitors.

Israel expects to continue its prominence in Singapore but expects to sell less defence equipment and concentrate on the transfer of technology and development of Singapore's defence industry.

"We are making great efforts to preserve this business," a defence source told Jane's Defence Weekly. "But it is clear that we are not the only supplier."

The report said, next year's goal will be to upgrade and install subsystems aboard Western-built aircraft, such as US Lockheed Martin F-16 fighters and Boeing AH-64D Apache attack helicopters, and ships bought by Singapore.

hloc SG

Not strange lah..... Smile New boss, new method of doing things. Mr. Green

MobyDog SG

Or was this the reason...

Foreign Ministry slams envoy's comments about 'yellow race'

By Charlotte Halle, Haaretz Correspondent

The Foreign Ministry on Friday condemned remarks by the Israeli ambassador to Australia in which he told Haaretz that the

"If the article is accurate, this is a grave and unacceptable remark," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The ministry said it will not return to business as usual if an internal examination confirms that the ambassador, Naftali Tamir, in fact made the comments attributed to him.

Tamir said that due to what he characterized as the racial similarities between Israel and Australia, the two countries should work together to enhance ties with other Asian countries.

"Israel and Australia are like sisters in Asia," Tamir said in an interview with Haaretz during a visit to Israel this week. "We are in Asia without the characteristics of Asians. We don't have yellow skin and slanted eyes. Asia is basically the yellow race. Australia and Israel are not - we are basically the white race. We are on the western side of Asia and they are on the southeastern side."

"Israel has not fully acknowledged the value of working together with Australia in Asia," Tamir said. "It's a way for us to cooperate with and enhance our position in the countries neighboring Australia."

In a meeting with Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni this week, Tamir emphasized the potential for developing trade and other links in Asia via Australia and the "necessity" that she visit Australia.

"One shouldn't take for granted friendships anywhere in the world," said Tamir, noting that "Australia is not lagging behind the U.S." in its support of Israel. "[Livni] listened very attentively and highly praised Australia," he said.

"Israel has a past and present in Europe, but no future," said Tamir. "Israel is a part of Asia."

Tamir said he did not raise the subject of reopening the Israeli consulate in Sydney during the meeting. The consulate's closure due to budget cuts some four years ago was fiercely protested by Australia's Jewish community, which later offered to finance its operations to keep it open.

"I am very much in support of reopening the consulate," Tamir told Haaretz. "But at the present time, due to budgetary limitations - which are even greater than they were before - it's simply not feasible."

A career diplomat who served in Tokyo, Washington, Strasbourg and as ambassador in Finland, Tamir is also Israel's non-resident ambassador to Papua New Guinea, Fiji and New Zealand, where Israel closed its embassy in 2002, also for budgetary reasons.

Though in Australia since January 2005, Tamir was only accredited in New Zealand a year ago, following the resumption of normal diplomatic relations between the two countries after Israel extended a formal apology for its role in the "passport affair." In 2004 two alleged Mossad agents were apprehended and jailed after attempting to obtain a New Zealand passport by fraudulent means.

Late last year, then-foreign minister Silvan Shalom announced that Israel would reopen its embassy in Wellington, but this has not yet happened. While Tamir strongly advocates reopening the mission there, other sources in the Foreign Ministry indicated that if New Zealand opened its own embassy here, things on the Israeli side might speed up.

New Zealand, which currently conducts its diplomatic contacts with Israel from its embassy in Turkey, has been frequently critical of Israel in recent years, although some commentators note this was slightly moderated during the recent war in Lebanon.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/774471.html

I find it funny that Israelis claims to be basically White, while screaming " anti-semite" if you disagree or criticize them.

So are they semite or not ?.. and we are slant eyes with yellow skin ..

And is Israel Asian ?? Hope they won't GAZA us... WTF

hloc SG

The envoy's A** is going to get Kena Sc**w by his boss soon...... Try to s**k up to the Aust. As if they could save them...... Neutral Neutral

Ponders SG

What things Israel are we using now?

One thing for sure is that our Water Bladder is by them.

beavan SG

we dun use much of their original things. however, most of our upgrades are done by them

valentinoo SG

read this book u will be surprised how racist the israelis are, they really think they are the best on earth

Almost invisible in the international media, the Arab citizens of Israel have found very few advocates among Israel's Jewish majority. By leaving Tel Aviv and moving into an Arab village, Nathan began the personal transformation that made her one of that small number. Living among Arab Israelis has engendered in Nathan a keen awareness of their fortitude and courage in coping with the adversity imposed by Israeli policies and practices. In Israel's schools and its legislative chamber, on its farms and its job sites, Nathan sees Jewish Israelis denying Arab Israelis equitable treatment, relegating them to second-class citizenship. And, unfortunately, the unmistakable parallels with South African apartheid fail to register even in the minds of Israel's progressive Jews, who insist that Israel's Arabs must surrender their traditional culture before they qualify for equal rights. Such moral myopia, Nathan warns, imperils not only Arab Israelis who lose hope in fighting against it but also Jewish Israelis who risk losing their national heritage by succumbing to it. Nathan's concluding appeal for a truly equitable and inclusive Israel will stir sharp controversy by forcing hard questions.