Obama praises Iron Dome soldiers
03/20/2013 15:19
US has earmarked hundreds of millions on Israeli air defense programs; PM describes Iron Dome as "a revolution."
US President Barack Obama lands in Israel Photo: Moshe Milner/GPO
US President Barack Obama met with soldiers from the air force’s Iron Dome
rocketdefense system at Ben-Gurion Airport on Wednesday, and told them they are
“doing an amazing job.”
Israel Air Force chief Maj.- Gen. Amir Eshel
provided Obama with a tour of an Iron Dome battery and the Arrow 3
anti-ballistic system.
Obama heard how Iron Dome guarded Israeli
civilians during last November’s aerial conflict with Hamas.
Obama was
joined by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who described the air defense
systems as “a revolution.”
The United States should be allowed to
co-produce Israel’s Iron Dome rocket interceptor so it can benefit from the
money it has poured into the system, a IDF officer said on Wednesday.
The
US has earmarked hundreds of millions of dollars for Israeli air defense
programs.
Brig.-Gen. Shachar Shohat, head of the IAF’s Air Defense
Command, told Reuters it was important for Israel to show its appreciation to
Obama, adding that such a venture would allow the Americans to gain from their
assistance.
Shochat briefed Obama at Ben-Gurion Airport together with
Eshel.
“To me, it is clear that the American partner also has to look out
for the American economy,” Eshel said.
Some experts have suggested the
United States might eventually want to use systems such as Iron Dome to protect
zones in combat situations such as Afghanistan.