Israel’s military establishment has denied that it sold to Pakistan weapons systems originally provided by Britain.
Details of Israel’s wide-ranging military export agreements revealed this week show that technology such as missile-jamming systems and radars were sold to countries as politically and diplomatically diverse as Australia, Turkey and India.
Military components obtained from Britain were also said to have been used in equipment sold by Israel to Pakistan, Egypt, Algeria, the UAE and Morocco — countries with which Israel does not have diplomatic relations.
The Israeli Defence Ministry and Pakistani military sources denied any deals had taken place. Confirmation of military co-operation between the two countries could threaten Israel’s relationship with India and cause domestic difficulty for Pakistani officials.
But details obtained from British government files by Haaretz show that in 2011, Israel requested weaponry and systems including radar equipment, electronic warfare material, fighter jet parts and targeting technology to export to Pakistan.
Between 2008 and 2012, Britain processed hundreds of Israeli applications for military equipment for use by the IDF or to be passed to other countries.
The Department for Business records the issuing, or rejection, of applications for permits needed for purchasing arms and military equipment. It rejected 52 Israeli requests over fears items would “damage regional stability” and be diverted to “undesirable end-users”.
A Department for Business spokeswoman said: “The UK takes its export licensing responsibilities seriously … Each assessment we make takes into account the intended end use of the equipment, the behaviour of the end user, the risk of diversion and the prevailing circumstances in the country concerned.”
The Israeli Defence Ministry said it would “liaise” with the British government “in order to receive the necessary clarifications regarding their official reports… It should be noted that Israel would not do anything that could undermine India’s security.”
