Is Washington trying to give Israel the old freeze-out on the Joint Strike Fighter? Influential Israelis seem to think so. The Tel Aviv daily Haaretz reports that the US continues to delay Israel’s participation in the F-35 program, even after the two countries resolved their security dispute over weapons technology sales this past summer and personnel changes were made at the Israeli Defense Ministry. The U.S. has agreed to renew activities on a series of security and strategic cooperation that had previously been suspended, but the JSF ban remains until the Knesset passes new legislation relating to Israeli weapons technology exports. Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz is scheduled to travel to Washington next month to talk with Donald Rumsfeld about the restriction.
Members of the House Armed Services Committee say the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile program has been set back three months due to the ongoing government shutdown. The comment is noteworthy because the JATM's status has been kept tightly under wraps.
