Abroad

Tel Aviv The Arms Business

Israel plans to develop a Latin American market for its arms sales following Washington’s permission to re-export military components of American origin, according to official circles here. Israel will thus offer its Kfir combat aircraft, powered by a General Electric J-79 jet engine, to Mexico, and Colombia is also said to be interested in acquiring the plane. The American ban, imposed four years ago, was designed specifically to prevent sophisticated military hardware from reaching Latin America. Now the State Department has changed its mind, a decision which Mordechai Zippori, Israeli deputy minister of defense, has hailed as “opening big horizons” for the Israelis in the defense business, at a time when Israel’s economy is very hard-pressed.

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Tel Aviv The Arms Business

Israel plans to develop a Latin American market for its arms sales following Washington’s permission to re-export military components of American origin, according to official circles here. Israel will thus offer its Kfir combat aircraft, powered by a General Electric J-79 jet engine, to Mexico, and Colombia is also said to be interested in acquiring the plane. The American ban, imposed four years ago, was designed specifically to prevent sophisticated military hardware from reaching Latin America. Now the State Department has changed its mind, a decision which Mordechai Zippori, Israeli deputy minister of defense, has hailed as “opening big horizons” for the Israelis in the defense business, at a time when Israel’s economy is very hard-pressed.