Weekly Commentary: Israeli Foreign Sales Oversight Mechanism Should Not Be Abused By USA To Prevent Competition

Weekly Commentary: Israeli Foreign Sales Oversight Mechanism Should Not Be
Abused By USA To Prevent Competition
Dr. Aaron Lerner 29 September 2022

Sheer coincidence? When the German government decided to purchase the
Israeli Arrow-3 system instead of the competing THAAD system produced by
Lockheed Martin, Washington found it difficult to promptly give the American
sign off required for the deal.

This was hardly the first time that Israeli companies competing against
Americans for the same business found Uncle Sam raising concerns about
Israel supplying equipment to a foreign customer when they had no problem
with that very same foreign customer buying equivalent Made in USA
equipment.

Which brings us to an important principle which should be set in discussions
now underway between Jerusalem and Washington regarding American oversight
on Israeli foreign sales.

And the principle should be straightforward: Any time the United States
allows an American company to bid to supply equipment, technology or
anything else to a foreign entity, the American “oversight mechanist” cannot
be exercised to prevent an Israeli company to supply equivalent equipment,
technology or anything else to that same foreign entity even if that may
cause the American company to lose the deal.

There may be a place for us to take into account American security concerns,
but that concern in no way should be abused to prevent us from competing.

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