US and European supplies are already exceeding Israel's capabilities, but Israeli officials fear that further refusal to help Kyiv will undermine global confidence in the country's military industry.
Political and military officials in Israel are increasingly inclined to increase military and humanitarian support for Ukraine. The amount of evidence of Russian atrocities against peaceful Ukrainians is growing. And that makes Israel's shaky neutrality in the war less and less sensible, Haaretz writes, adding that most Israeli officials support the idea of increasing military and humanitarian supplies to Ukraine. Additional discussions will take place in the coming days, during which the list of items allowed to be sent to Ukraine will be reviewed. Officials told Haaretz that the range from helmets for soldiers to the Iron Dome missile defense system has a lot of equipment that could be sent to the Ukrainian army.
At the same time, there is a consensus among Israeli politicians that the country should not yet supply the Armed Forces with air defense systems, advanced weapons and offensive systems. At least not now. Instead, the country's politicians believe that defense systems that protect Ukraine's ground forces, as well as warning systems and individual military equipment, can be sent to Ukraine without fear of a crisis in relations with Russia.
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The newspaper writes that Israel is preparing to take more significant steps. However, his support will still be symbolic. Because supplies from the United States and Europe are already surpassing Israel's capabilities. Therefore, the country cannot offer something in the same quantities. Until now, Israel has provided humanitarian support to Ukraine, including the deployment of field hospitals on Ukrainian territory. The country also shipped about 100 tons of humanitarian supplies, which included water purification systems, medical equipment, blankets and warm clothing. Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz recently approved the supply of body armor and helmets for Ukrainian soldiers. However, the country has not yet sent Ukraine the advanced weapons it has requested since the Russian invasion on February 24.
An anonymous source told Haaretz that the increase in Israeli support was partly due to the understanding that the United States and various European countries expected a clearer position from Israel on whose side it was. And this must be demonstrated not only by political statements, but by action. In addition, Israel is concerned about the prospects of the country's military-industrial complex, which exports weapons to various countries. After all, customers who have already bought Israeli defense systems may decide that in a critical situation, their supplier may not provide the necessary security for defense for political reasons.
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