© AP Both Netanyahu, left, and Peres visited China over the past year.
Israel has high hopes for help from Beijing in dealing with Iran's nuclear weapons development. "China has a central role in the efforts to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear bomb," Israeli President Shimon Peres told Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping during a trip to China early last month.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited China last May, and top defense officials from the two countries have been deepening their ties. The high-profile visits underscore Israel's aim of improving its diplomatic position in the United Nations by growing closer to China, a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council.
India agreed in February to work with Israel to devise anti-terrorism measures and develop a missile defense system. They also plan to set up a fund to support joint ventures between technology companies in both countries.
Meanwhile, the increasingly complex global landscape has created various sources of friction between Washington and its Middle Eastern ally.
On March 27, the U.N. General Assembly passed a resolution rejecting Russia's annexation of Crimea. But Israel abstained, choosing to maintain relations with Moscow, which has significant sway over the course of the war in Syria and the Iran situation, both of which directly affect Israel's national security.
Comment: Not quite. The Israelis 'accidentally didn't show up' for the vote because it occurred smack in the middle of a ten-day strike by its entire embassy staff worldwide. Such timing!
This reportedly infuriated the White House. But "our security interests should not be defined as identical to that of anyone else, even the U.S.," a top Israeli defense official told local media.
Israel's trade with Beijing has also become a source of discord. Israeli exports of high-tech products to China jumped 170% in five years to reach $1.58 billion in 2013. It was reported at the end of last year that advanced missile technology had reached China via Israeli companies.
In the 1990s, an Israeli plan to sell surveillance aircraft to China was derailed by U.S. pressure. If Israel keeps growing closer to such countries as China and Russia, it could invite interference from Washington again.
Reader Comments
up and blow away" – Benjamin Netanyahu.
I am not a chemist but maybe there is something that can be done in the way of a flee/tick/Israel/USA repellent that could be sold or sprayed on this earth to rid us of this parasite. ha ha good comments. Seriously though is there a cure? (the universe is infinite so there must be an antidote)
Here's hoping they aren't as gullible via personal weakness as the Americans.
Don't ever enter into a deal with these chappy's.
Or if one does,remember to study their Kol Nidre prayer 1st.
Any takers that somebody may soon leak footage of the Pentagon strike from a never-before-seen angle?...
Does anyone remember those latest generation Patriot missiles found by Finnish authorities in that freighter bound for China? No one, aside from the US, had that technology but Israel. We had given it to them when they were screaming that Iran was going to attack them at any minute.
China can get all of the US top secret military hardware and software it wants from our only friend in the middle east. Israel has been grooming China and India for many years.
Israel's spy ring in the states has, or can get, just about any industrial proprietary knowledge. Why does China need to spy on the US when Israel will give or sell them anything they need to cement their "friendship"?
Oh that's just on the surface; Ive red somewhere that Netzi Ben went to Moscow to ask for "protection since US is no longer willing to obey...