Israel offers excess defense articles to Phl

MANILA, Philippines - Israel has offered to provide the Philippines with excess defense articles.

Department of National Defense spokesman Peter Galvez said Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon discussed the matter during a bilateral meeting in Tel Aviv last week.

“Israel also offered assistance in the development of command, control, communications, computers and intelligence capabilities as well as the availability of excess defense articles for Philippine acquisition,” he said.

Gazmin and Ya’alon also discussed the prospects of information exchange, particularly on terrorism and technology-sharing.

Earlier, The STAR reported that the Philippines would acquire three air search radars from Israel to boost monitoring activities in the West Philippine Sea.

The radars will be purchased from state-run Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd.-Elta for P2.6 billion.

Last week, security officials signed an implementation arrangement to pave the way for the purchase.

Part of the deal is for Israel to lend one radar for the immediate security needs of the Philippines.

The delivery of the three radars is expected within the next two years.

The radar to be lent will arrive in a year.

The radars will be used to improve the country’s maritime domain awareness in the West Philippine Sea.

Galvez said Gazmin and Ya’alon also discussed the establishment of a working group to examine the security situation in their countries and to explore efforts to address common concerns.

“The working group will also come up with available solutions with cost considerations in regard to further enhancing the defense capability build-up of the Philippines,” he said.

Upon the invitation of Ya’alon, Gazmin visited Israel en route to his official visit to the Golan Heights.