Israeli Army chief plays down fears of Egypt buying Russian air-defense systemsDruze soldiers In the Israeli Army up in arms over move to disband battalion

Israeli Army chief plays down fears of Egypt buying Russian air-defense systems
By REUTERS/J.Post/05/27/2015 19:2
“Are you kidding me? We’re at peace with them,” Maj.-Gen. Amir Eshel told reporters. President Sisi and President Putin in Cairo, February 9, 2015. The chief of Israel’s air force on Wednesday played down worries voiced by some fellow officials about the possibility of Egypt acquiring advanced Russian-made air defenses.The Russian news agency TASS said in March Egypt would receive the Antey-2500 missile system, an S-300 variant, and put the value of the contract at more than a billion dollars. Neither Egypt nor Russia has formally confirmed it.The S-300 would pose a challenge to Israel’s air force. Russia is also in talks to sell the system to Iran, to the open consternation of Israel, which has long threatened to attack its arch-foe’s nuclear facilities if it deems diplomatic efforts to deny Tehran the bomb to have failed.

“It (an Iranian S-300) is a very big challenge. It is a strategic problem long before it is an operational problem,” air force chief Major-General Amir Eshel told reporters on the sidelines of a conference on Wednesday. “Someone who has an S-300 feels protected and can do more aggressive things because he feels protected,” he said. But Eshel brushed off any suggestions Israel would be concerned about an Egyptian S-300, telling reporters: “Are you kidding me? We’re at peace with them.” In a state of stable albeit cold peace since 1979, Israel and Egypt have in recent years stepped up security coordination against Islamist militants. “We’re all for Egypt getting anything it needs from the United States for counterterrorism,” a senior Israeli military officer said on condition of anonymity this month.

“The problem is that the S-300 has nothing to do with counterterrorism.”A US official said he had heard “muted” misgivings over the S-300 deal, but that the Israelis seemed resigned to it. “They have a problem because here they are telling us we should give (Egypt) all this kit for Sinai, and yet they have problems with certain other weapons systems. They’re aware that it’s a mixed message, and they don’t want to risk that,” the official told Reuters on condition of anonymity. Egypt depends on extensive US military aid, which can potentially be influenced by Israel’s own lobbying in Washington.

Druze soldiers In the Israeli Army up in arms over move to disband battalion
High-ranking Druze reservists urge Netanyahu to intervene, warns they are ready to petition High Court, hold demonstrations outside the IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv.
Yossi Yehoshua /Ynetnews/Published: 05.26.15/Israel News
A storm is raging over the Israel Defense Forces’ recent decision to disband its all-Druze Herev Battalion: High-ranking Druze reservists opposed to the move have sent a harshly worded letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in which they call on him to intervene. The Druze officers warn that if the decision is not rescinded, they will petition the High Court of Justice and stage demonstrations outside the Kirya base in Tel Aviv.

Herev was formed in 1974 and around 400 Druze soldiers currently serve in the battalion, which is involved primarily in routine security duties along the border with Lebanon. According to the IDF, the decision by Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot came after a poll among Druze soldiers found that 99 percent would rather integrate into the rest of the army than remain in a separate unit. The move, said an IDF source, follows “a series of consultations, including with the Druze community leaders, who supported the desire to integrate the Druze youth into other combat units in the army.” But a different tune is coming from within the Druze community.

“The chief of staff’s decision to disband the Herev Battalion is unacceptable,” the Druze officers say in their letter to Netanyahu.
“A vast majority among the Druze community oppose it… We call on all the members of the Druze to unite, to work as one to overturn the miserable decision. One the other hand, we urge respect for individuals from among the community who support the decision to dismantle the battalion.”Some of the officers who signed the letter have also voiced harsh criticism of the defense establishment. “For many soldiers,” said Colonel (res.) Assad Assad, a former Likud Knesset member, “the battalion serves as an incubator in which they can develop in the army. Without the battalion, I would have been a sentry. Its closure would be a deathblow to the Druze soldiers.” And according to Brigadier General (res.) Muada Hasbani, “It’s a bad decision both on a tactical level and a strategic one. Instead of solving the problem, it could cause young guys to decide not to enlist.”