US to boost fund for Israel’s rocket shield

WASHINGTON: The Pentagon will seek to provide Israel with an additional $70 million in the coming months for its short-range rocket shield, known as the “Iron Dome,” US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said after a meeting with his Israeli counterpart.
So far, the United States has provided $205 million to support the Iron Dome, manufactured by Israel’s state-owned Raphael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. The system uses small radar-guided missiles to blow up in midair Katyusha-style rockets with ranges of 5 km to 70 km, as well as mortar bombs.
But top Republicans have criticized President Barack Obama for what they described as inadequate funding of US-Israeli missile defense cooperation in his 2013 budget request released in February amid deficit-reduction requirements.
Legislation moving through the Republican-controlled US House of Representatives would give Israel additional $680 million for the Iron Dome system through 2015, and some House lawmakers are seeking a deal with Israel to share production of the Iron Dome system with US weapons manufacturers. Obama’s fiscal 2013 budget request calls for $3.1 billion in security assistance to Israel, part of a 10-year, $30 billion US commitment, none of which was scheduled to fund Iron Dome.
On Thursday, Panetta said the Pentagon would seek additional funding for the Iron Dome program over the next three years “based on an annual assessment of Israeli security requirements.”
“My goal is to ensure Israel has the funding it needs each year to produce these batteries that can protect its citizens,” Panetta said.
He said the $70 million would be provided this fiscal year, which ends in September.
“This is assistance that, provided Congress concurs, we can move quickly, to ensure no shortage in this important system,” Panetta said in a statement after meeting Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak.
Separately, the Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, Catherine Bragg, completed a three-day visit to the occupied Palestinian territory Thursday.
During her visit, she visited several vulnerable Palestinian communities and witnessed first-hand the situation on the ground and the humanitarian impact of the occupation on freedom of movement and access to basic social services.
Visiting Susiya in the southern West Bank and neighborhoods on the outskirts of Jerusalem, Bragg met Palestinians who live in fear of their homes being demolished or of being forcibly displaced. "I am extremely concerned about the humanitarian impact of demolitions and displacement on Palestinian families. Such actions cause great human suffering, run counter to international law and must be brought to a halt," she said.
FROM: AGENCIES