A country that develops some of the most advanced weapon systems in the world. A country with aerospace and defence industries that have not even begun consolidation. Add to this the different interests of the ministry of defence and ministry of foreign affairs and you have a mix that leads to a severe report by Israel's state comptroller.
This is exactly what happened last week. State comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss, a former judge, accused Udi Shani, director general of the defence ministry, of violating defence export laws and regulations when approving a number of defence deals in recent years.
In three cases, the comptroller found Shani ignored export procedures and decided to grant export licences to companies to sell military platforms overseas despite opposition from the foreign ministry.
In his defence, Shani argued that the cases probed by the state comptroller's office were not significant and therefore he decided to rule on them independently and without following the regulations.
According to export regulations, if there is a disagreement between the foreign and defence ministries regarding an export licence, the issue first goes to a meeting between two department heads from the ministries. If they fail to agree, it is then brought before the directors-general of both offices. If they fail to agree, it is decided by a ministerial committee led by the prime minister.
"The director-general and head of the defence export agency, which operates within the ministry, overstepped their authority and acted against the law," Lindenstrauss wrote.
I have written in this blog more than once about the dilemmas Israel faces when it comes to defence exports. The interests of the defence and foreign ministries are totally different in most cases.
Will the report change things? I doubt it. The fact that Israeli manufacturers of defence systems, such as unmanned air systems (UAS), compete with each other for foreign clients, instead of joining forces against overseas companies, creates an atmosphere in which the regulations are not always followed.
As always in Israel, the state comptroller's report feeds media headlines for a few days, and it will then join a stack of older reports on dusty shelves in the archives of the relevant ministries.
This is exactly what happened last week. State comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss, a former judge, accused Udi Shani, director general of the defence ministry, of violating defence export laws and regulations when approving a number of defence deals in recent years.
In three cases, the comptroller found Shani ignored export procedures and decided to grant export licences to companies to sell military platforms overseas despite opposition from the foreign ministry.
In his defence, Shani argued that the cases probed by the state comptroller's office were not significant and therefore he decided to rule on them independently and without following the regulations.
According to export regulations, if there is a disagreement between the foreign and defence ministries regarding an export licence, the issue first goes to a meeting between two department heads from the ministries. If they fail to agree, it is then brought before the directors-general of both offices. If they fail to agree, it is decided by a ministerial committee led by the prime minister.
"The director-general and head of the defence export agency, which operates within the ministry, overstepped their authority and acted against the law," Lindenstrauss wrote.
I have written in this blog more than once about the dilemmas Israel faces when it comes to defence exports. The interests of the defence and foreign ministries are totally different in most cases.
Will the report change things? I doubt it. The fact that Israeli manufacturers of defence systems, such as unmanned air systems (UAS), compete with each other for foreign clients, instead of joining forces against overseas companies, creates an atmosphere in which the regulations are not always followed.
As always in Israel, the state comptroller's report feeds media headlines for a few days, and it will then join a stack of older reports on dusty shelves in the archives of the relevant ministries.
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