31 THE JEWISH HOME
in neighboring Somalia. Israeli advisors were also sent in after the terrorist massacre at the Nairobi Westgate shopping mall in 2013. Kenya has been a regular customer of Israeli Military Industries and hundreds of Kenyan soldiers have either received training in Israel or have been trained by Israelis in Kenya. Azerbaijan, Israel’s top oil supplier, is perhaps Is-
and C-130 transport planes. Israeli equipment used by the U.S. military includes
Land ISIS claims to be theirs
pany’s approach is to monitor electricity flowing from specific sections of the
Members of Al-Shabaab
Israeli and Kenyan Parliaments sign agreement
rael’s closest Muslim ally. As relations with its neighbor Iran have deteriorated in recent years, Azerbaijan has quietly expanded the scope of its military cooperation with Israel. In 2012, Israel confirmed a $1.6 billion deal to sell drones and missile/anti-aircraft defense to Azerbaijan. Additionally, there is speculation that the Azeri government has opened up the Sitalchay Military Airbase, located 340 miles from the Iranian border, to the Israeli Air Force. The base could be used as a staging ground for an Israeli strike on Iranian nuclear targets. In regards to U.S.-Israeli military cooperation, the two countries regularly hold joint training exercises and have a number of joint technological development programs including the Arrow missile system and Tactical High Energy Laser. At an average of $1.8 billion annually, Israel is the largest recipient of U.S. military aid since WWII. Notable examples of U.S. military equipment used by Israel include F-15 fighter planes, AH-64 Apache helicopters
the Uzi submachine gun and the IAI Kfir plane. Israel and the U.S. have also had a longstanding joint police and counter-terrorism training program. Topics covered in the program include border security, treating mass casualties, rescue operations, securing terrorist attack sites, IED attacks, and even illegal immigrants. Finally, Israel is leading the fight in combating cyberterrorism. In 2012, Saudi hackers leaked the credit card details of thousands of Israelis and managed to shut down the websites of El Al and the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. Last year, Iranian hackers created fake social media profiles to spy on top U.S. and Israeli officials. And Israel everyday is the target of DDOS (denial of service) attacks in which hackers overload a site with messages to shut it down. In response to these threats, the same company that developed the Iron Dome has also been developing the Iron Dome’s digital counterpart. Dubbed the “Information Grid,” Israel Electric Com-
power grid and stop suspicious activities from spreading. Israel has also agreed to help the Japanese government improve its cybersecurity by signing a joint agreement to fund the anti-cyberterrorism efforts of companies and research centers in both countries. Both Israel and Japan are some of the few countries to have developed offensive cyberweapons. Israel is a world leader in cybersecurity, with cybersecurity software exports valued at $3 billion in 2013 alone. Israel recently announced the creation of the National Cyber Bureau to streamline the government’s cybersecurity efforts. (Sources: Times of Israel, Jerusalem Post, Haaretz, Ynet News, Israel Hayom, Bloomberg)
MARCH 12, 2015
At the same time, Lt. Col. Ibrahim Lukman, the commander of a Yazidi militia in Iraq, made a public appeal to Israel for military aid. As he told the Middle Eastern-oriented media outlet Al-Monitor, “We appeal to the Israeli government and its leader to step in and help this nation, which loves the Jewish people. We would be most grateful for the establishment of military ties—for instance, the training of fighters and the formation of joint teams. We are well aware of the circumstances the Israelis are in, and of the suffering they have endured at the hands of the Arabs ever since the establishment of their state. We, too, are suffering on account of them.” The Israeli government has not yet responded to his plea. Beyond the Middle East, Israel has been helping a number of countries address their security concerns. One of these countries is India, one of Israel’s strongest supporters in terms of public opinion. Since Narendra Modi became India’s prime minister last year, military cooperation between India and Israel has ramped up significantly, in addition to the already strong trade and tech ties between the two countries. Ever wary of the potential threat from neighboring Pakistan, India has decided to purchase the Israeli-produced Barak-8 missile to outfit its warships. Netanyahu has told Modi that Israeli defense companies could produce in India to reduce costs. India is reported to be considering the purchase of the Israeli Iron Dome system, the star of the 2014 Gaza war, to defend its civilians against rocket attacks. Israel has also helped India’s neighbor Sri Lanka in its decades-long war against the Tamil Tigers terrorist group. Though Sri Lanka is reluctant to specify just how Israel assists its efforts, (it does not want to risk alienating its Muslim population or its Arab oil suppliers,) reports indicate that Israel has provided Sri Lanka with planes, pilot training, naval attack craft and submarine-launched missiles. The Sri Lankan ambassador to Israel, Donald Perera, is a strong supporter of Israel’s war on terror. Additionally, Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa made history last year by becoming the first Sri Lankan head of state to visit Israel since both countries gained their independence in 1948. Kenya, another victim of terrorism, has become one of Israel’s closest allies in East Africa. In 2011, the two countries signed an agreement for Israel to advise Kenya on how to fight its war against the al-Qaeda-linked Al Shabaab group