Israel Won’t Be Punished for Its Missile Exports

U.S. intelligence agencies recently determined that Israel exported key ballistic missile components to South Africa, but President Bush has decided to waive sanctions against Israel called for under U.S. law, according to Administration and diplomatic officials.

The officials said that Bush’s decision, which has not been publicly announced and is being treated with extreme sensitivity inside the Administration, was motivated in part by concern that punishing Israel would undermine its position at this week’s Mideast peace conference and could further aggravate U.S.-Israeli relations.

Israeli sources said the decision also took into account Israel’s pledge last month to adhere to an agreement adopted in 1987 by the United States and other industrialized nations to prevent the proliferation of missiles to Third World nations.

The Israeli sources also said Israel has told the United States it is following through with a 1987 decision not to renew military contracts with South Africa.

White House and State Department spokesmen refused to comment on Bush’s decision to waive the sanctions against Israel.

Officials said the ballistic missile components at issue were shipped within the past year by an Israeli government-affiliated weapons company to the Armaments Corp. of South Africa, which is also government-affiliated.

The firm, commonly known as Armscor, has long had close ties with Israeli weapons engineers.