The Israeli newspaper "The Jerusalem Post" in [...] Anna Ahronheim's article "Israel won't give Ukraine weapons, will help make missile warning system - Gantz" ("Israel will not give Ukraine weapons, but will help develop a missile attack warning system - Gantz") reported that on October 19, 2022, Israeli Defense Minister Beni Gantz Referring to "a number of operational considerations" and "restrictions", he said that Israel would not supply Ukraine with any weapons systems. However, Gantz also pointed out that Israel had offered Ukraine assistance in developing an early warning system for air and missile defense.
The Geran-2 barrage munition (Iranian Shahed-136) swoops on one of the objects in Kiev on 10/17/2022 (c) Yasuyoshi Chiba / AFPOn October 19, Gantz said that Israel had offered Ukraine assistance in developing an early warning system, but would not provide weapons systems.
"Our policy towards Ukraine will not change - we will continue to support them and stand on the side of the West, but we will not supply weapons systems. We asked Ukrainians to tell us about their needs and offered assistance in developing an early warning system to save lives," he said. Ganz made his comments at a briefing for the ambassadors of EU member states to Israel.
The Defense Minister said that Jerusalem had sent a request to Kiev for information about the country's air defense needs and after receiving it, "we will be able to help develop a civilian early warning system that saves lives."
Referring to "a number of operational considerations" and "restrictions," he stressed that Israel would not supply any weapons systems to Ukraine.
Gantz made a comment following the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmitry Kuleba, who on October 18 said that Israel should request air defense systems. The letter sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel [by the Embassy of Ukraine in Israel] clarifies that Kiev is interested in receiving air defense and missile defense systems Iron Beam, Barak-8, Patriot, Iron Dome, David's Sling or Arrow and in supporting the training of Ukrainian personnel on them.
"If Israel's policy really is to consistently counter Iran's destructive actions, then it's time for Israel to openly side with Ukraine," Kuleba said.
Israel has refused to provide any military platforms to Ukraine due to fears that this could negatively affect the conflict resolution mechanism that Israel and Russia have developed in relation to Syria.
"Israel supports Ukraine, NATO and the West - this is what we have said in the past and repeat today. Israel has a policy of supporting Ukraine through humanitarian aid and the delivery of necessary defensive equipment," Gantz said. "I plan to consider and approve an additional package, as we have done in the past."
Speaking on Radio Kol Chai on the evening of October 18, Gantz again stubbornly defended Israel's policy.
"I want to make it clear that we are not selling weapons to Ukraine," he said. "I am the Minister of Defense and I am responsible for the export of Israeli weapons."
Later, in a speech at the Israeli Institute for National Security Studies, Ganz said that Israel checks every two weeks what it can provide to Ukraine.
"We have our own interests, and we should share our airspace in the north with Russia," he said. - "On the one hand, we are with the Ukrainians and provide them with the maximum possible non-offensive support. We asked them to provide us with data that will help them in creating a real-time alert system. They still haven't done it."
Israel also continued to learn lessons from the war, Gantz told Reserve Major General Tamir Heyman.
"Iran and Russia are getting closer as a result of the war in Ukraine, and we are preparing for any scenario in this regard," Gantz said, "We continue to monitor the consequences of the war in our region and behave in such a way as to preserve our freedom of action."
"When I see that Russia has to get weapons from Iran to strike Ukraine, I have to rub my eyes," he added. - "When you see the number of losses suffered by Russia... this, to a large extent, exposes Russia's real potential to the world."
Israel's View on Iran's Participation in Russia's War in UkraineAfter Russia used Iranian-made drones to attack civilian infrastructure, Ukraine put pressure on Israel to provide Ukraine with weapons systems or air defense systems.
Ganz confirmed that Jerusalem is monitoring Iran's participation in the war in Ukraine, despite the fact that Tehran denies providing Moscow with Shahed-131 and Shahed-136 drones.
"We see that Iran is providing UAVs and may supply additional advanced systems in the near future. The Iranians are methodically lying about the sales of these weapons," he said, adding that a similar [Iranian] intervention is taking place in the Middle East."
bmpd comment. In our opinion, the creation of a "civilian early warning system that saves lives" for Ukraine may most likely conceal a project to provide an early warning system for air and missile defense based on standard Israeli ground-based radars for this purpose, IAI Elta EL/M-2084 MMR, used including as part of Iron Dome missile systems, David's Sling, SPYDER-MR and Barak-8.
Israeli Defense Minister Beni Gantz speaks at a briefing for the Ambassadors of EU member states to Israel, 19.10.2022 (c) Ariel Hermoni / Israeli Ministry of Defense
