'Development in Israel of terrorist-killing robots is no state secret'

Likud Minister Ayoub Kara addressed his remarks on Israel's developing robots that will identify and exterminate terrorist leaders.

By UDI SHAHAM
Updated: MARCH 5, 2017 13:22
Ayoub Kara (photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
Ayoub Kara
(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
Israel’s development of robots that can identify and exterminate Hamas and Hezbollah leaders is no secret, and the fact that such efforts are being carried out by civilian companies demonstrates this, Minister- without-Portfolio Ayoub Kara said late Saturday night.
He was commenting on reactions to his remarks at a culture event in Beersheba that morning.
“People already know about this project,” Kara said in an interview with Israel Radio’s Reshet Bet. “I wasn’t revealing state secrets. This is not a military or security issue that someone leaked from the government. We are talking here about civil companies that are developing security related technologies, and I established strong connections with them.”
Robot sent to neutralize explosives in Jerusalem (Credit: Medabrim Tikshoret)
Kara elaborated on his earlier remarks. Some of the robots would be as small as flies, and they would start operating soon, he said.
“This is just like the development of drones or our Iron Dome [anti-rocket] system,” he said. “At first, people were laughing and saying, ‘This is impossible’ and that it will never happen. People thought that these were imaginary technologies, but now we see them operating.”
When asked about the time frame for these technologies to be operational, Kara replied: “It would take several years. I guess that in three years we will see the results already.”
Kara explained that his desire to advance technologies to keep Israeli soldiers within our borders and not in another country comes from personal experience.
“I don’t want other families to go through what I went through when we started the war with Lebanon,” he said.
Kara lost one of his brothers in the First Lebanon War in 1985, while another brother was severely wounded.
Kara added that the idea to send robots to fight behind enemy lines was inspired by president Shimon Peres. “Two months before he passed away [last September], he invited me to the Peres Center for Peace and we discussed the different means I am promoting to achieve peace, such as the Saudi Initiative and building industrial areas for Palestinians.
He then mentioned this newly developed technology that could save lives when war breaks out.”