Posted on 08/29/2016 12:12:43 AM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
The British Foreign Office has recently declassified documents that allegedly prove that Israel sold weapons to Argentina during the 1982 Falklands War between the Latin American nation and the UK.
The British government's National Archives department released the files dated November 16, 1984, which include a memorandum from a senior British diplomat who provided details on the Israeli arms sales to Argentina, the London-based Telegraph reported Wednesday.
“Israel was one of the few countries to supply Argentina with arms during the Falklands conflict and has continued to do so,” wrote C.W. Long, the UK Foreign Office's then head of the Near East and North Africa region, in one of the documents.
The now disclosed files further substantiate claims made in a book published in 2011 that purported to expose Israel's armament of General Leopoldo Galtieri's Argentine junta forces by secretly routing weapons shipments to Buenos Aires via Peru. In his book Operation Israel, Argentine journalist Hernan Dobry wrote of the Israeli weapons sales during the war and Jerusalem's denial at the time of such actions.
The newly-released files that list evidence cited by British diplomats also reportedly note that Israel provided military equipment, including bomber jets, to Argentina's junta prior to the war and continued with the exports for years thereafter.
The declassified records add that Israel was prepared to sell espionage aircraft to the junta, and that former British foreign secretary Geoffrey Howe had called for the exchange not to be implemented.
However, the logs show that Long believed that Israel would pay no heed to the British request.
“I do not believe the Israelis are to be moved on this issue,” the Telegraph quoted him as writing. “This is not satisfactory, but Israeli interests in Argentina will outweigh any readiness they might otherwise feel to be helpful to us.”
At the time, ties were strained between allies Britain and Israel over the First Lebanon War while charges emerged that then Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin had approved the weapons' supply to Argentina.
The Argentine military dictatorship, or junta, that ruled at the time faced increased opposition following their defeat in the ten-week conflict over the sovereignty of the Falkland islands, and relinquished power the next year in 1983.
In solely secular terms, the US has found Israel far more frequently friend than enemy. It hasn’t been 100.00% friend of course.
In spiritual terms, the biblical promise that God will bless those who bless Israel, looms large.
Seems like a non-issue.
[ This article provides yet another occasion to raise the question, on a cost benefit analysis, is the United States more secure or less secure for its support of Israel? ]
When it comes to supporting Israel, i have always felt that the best way to do so is to NOT support the Islamist Regimes in the middle east.
It makes no sense to send one million to Israel if we are sending a million to every country that hates it that surrounds it.
Israel is a “big boy” now and the best thing we can do is not send it’s enemies any sort of aid even if that meant sending nothing to Israel. They are industrious, they can support themselves better than the lazy ass saudis and their trillions of oil that are just bubbling up into the sand.
I don’t see that it raises any issues for the US whatever. It is an issue between the UK and Israel.
Should the Israelis (IF the report is true) have sold arms to the Argentinians at that time? I would say not, but the UK has not always been such a friend to Israel. It’s a matter for them not the USA to be concerned about.
They had a retrospect reporting that Israel had been arming Argentina from prior to the Falklands conflict and never stopped.
Apparently it wasn’t enough to prevent Britain from prevailing over those islands, however.
Argentina having been a safe harbor for Nazis fleeing Europe after WW II.
But arms dealing make strange bedfellows (to slaughter a phrase)
The British government's National Archives department released the files dated November 16, 1984, which include a memorandum from a senior British diplomat who provided details on the Israeli arms sales to Argentina, the London-based Telegraph reported Wednesday.
“Israel was one of the few countries to supply Argentina with arms during the Falklands conflict and has continued to do so,” wrote C.W. Long, the UK Foreign Office's then head of the Near East and North Africa region, in one of the documents.
The now disclosed files further substantiate claims made in a book published in 2011 that purported to expose Israel's armament of General Leopoldo Galtieri's Argentine junta forces by secretly routing weapons shipments to Buenos Aires via Peru. In his book Operation Israel, Argentine journalist Hernan Dobry wrote of the Israeli weapons sales during the war and Jerusalem's denial at the time of such actions.
The newly-released files that list evidence cited by British diplomats also reportedly note that Israel provided military equipment, including bomber jets, to Argentina's junta prior to the war and continued with the exports for years thereafter.
The declassified records add that Israel was prepared to sell espionage aircraft to the junta, and that former British foreign secretary Geoffrey Howe had called for the exchange not to be implemented.
However, the logs show that Long believed that Israel would pay no heed to the British request.
“I do not believe the Israelis are to be moved on this issue,” the Telegraph quoted him as writing. “This is not satisfactory, but Israeli interests in Argentina will outweigh any readiness they might otherwise feel to be helpful to us.”
At the time, ties were strained between allies Britain and Israel over the First Lebanon War while charges emerged that then Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin had approved the weapons' supply to Argentina.
The Argentine military dictatorship, or junta, that ruled at the time faced increased opposition following their defeat in the ten-week conflict over the sovereignty of the Falkland islands, and relinquished power the next year in 1983.
"Just prior" to the 10-week (1982) war, the junta relinquished power in 1983, and continued providing (a different Argentinian government) arms years later (1984).
hmmm... while I support Israel, I think the CBA shows on the negative side.
Any country which is drowning in debt of $20 TRILLION = $63,492 debt for every man, woman & child, has no business aiding anyone. Take care of your own first! OTOH if we had a surplus in the Treasury, Israel should be at the top of list for aid.
The US under hussein gave weapons to isis and al queda. Which is worse?
Israel was perhaps paying back the Brits for their relentless attacks against their nation from 1947-49 by the Labour government. In any case this was/is between those two nations, not us, but the UK, in league with assorted Arab nations, nearly killed of Israel in its infancy.
Do you think that the only reason the Islamists in the Middle East hate us is because of our support of Israel?
.. extending beyond the 1992 jihadi attack on the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires, and the 1994 AMIA bombing?
Odd. The UK has been such a staunch ally to Israel. /s
Recent UK “Blood Money” http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/blood-money-uk-s-123bn-arms-sales-to-repressive-states-8711794.html
This does not answer Nathan’s question, but I would suggest caution (like always) when reading newspaper articles. The headline and the text do not match. And the report from the Ambassador, if not directly misleading is definitely not as clear cut as the DT makes it out to be.
What is clear is that Israel had sold aircraft technology to Argentine for years prior to the Falkland’s War. It is also clear that they continued to sell arms to Argentine after the war. But nowhere is it shown that Israel actually provided Argentine with weapons during the actual conflict.
Another country that also sold weapons to Argentine prior to the conflict was France. France blocked further sales to Argentine once the war started, whereas Israel at the time did not acknowledge any arms deals with Argentine.
In the DT article is mentioned the Argentine Skyhawks, maybe returned to usable condition by Israel, but the Dassault-Breguet Super Étendard and the Exocet missiles were not mentioned.
In actual fact losses to the British Navy were inflicted by the Daggers (Israeli converted Mirage), the Skyhawks and the Super Étendard, and at least one ship was sunk by an Exocet missile fired from land.
Thus, the problems with arms sales; when you sell the arms the customer may be a friendly nation, but one can never be certain that is the case once the arms are being used. Also, stopping the sales once war breaks out does not stop the already sold arms to be used.
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