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U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates shakes hands with PM Ehud Olmert prior to a meeting at the PM's office in Jerusalem on Thursday. (AP)
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Last update - 14:14 20/04/2007
Gates says Washington to sell smart bombs to Saudi Arabia
By Ze'ev Schiff , Haaretz Correspondent

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said during his visit to Israel that Washington has decided to sell Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) bombs to Saudi Arabia, Haaretz has learned.

A recent discussion in Washington raised the possibility that Jerusalem would ask the U.S. not to sell the satellite-guided smart bombs to the Saudis, but it was decided to reject this request.

The Israel Air Force itself has purchased the high-accuracy JDAMs, and used them against Hezbollah targets during the Second Lebanon War.
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Defense Minister Amir Peretz expressed Israel's opposition to the sale of the weapons to Saudi or other Persian Gulf states during his visit to the U.S. a few weeks ago. Peretz said Israel was concerned the weapons might fall into terrorist hands. Israel also argues that the presence of such weapons in the Arab countries undermines Washington's pledge that Israel will enjoy a qualitative edge in the region - attained mainly by the possession of advanced weaponry.

Articles by Arab security experts in the Western and the Arab press recently have argued that Israel's opposition to the sale of advanced arms to the Arab states has placed the country in a strategic contradiction. According to the head of the Kuwait Center for Strategic Studies, Dr. Sami al-Faraj, various countries in the Gulf have armed themselves as a deterrent against Iran, but while Israel has a great interest in creating focuses of deterance against Iran, it expresses automatic opposition when other countries seek to obtain these weapons.

Washington has rejected such requests from Israel before: surrounding the sale of AWACs and advanced F-16s to Saudi Arabia, and Harpoon missiles to Egypt. Arab experts say satellite-guided weapons can be purchased from Europe or Russia, although there is no comparison between European and Russian technology and that of the U.S.

The main component of the JDAM is not the bomb itself, but rather its tail kit, which can also be installed on an ordinary bomb. The target location is fed to the system by satellite, which can also be done by computer during flight. The computer determines the best moment for the pilot to release the bomb. Pilots and other experts say this type of bomb "can be aimed through a window."
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  1.   No to weapons to Saudi Arabia 03:06  |  Brod 20/04/07
  2.   O.K. so just to ensure the quality of such "smart bombs"... 03:17  |  Maureen Ann 20/04/07
  3.   Smart bombs are for dummies 03:41  |  Mark Klein, M.D. 20/04/07
  4.   China and Russia have Better Bombs 03:45  |  Billy T 20/04/07
  5.   Selling arms 04:28  |  Brod 20/04/07
  6.   China and Ri]ussia have better bonbs 04:43  |  Markonovich 20/04/07
  7.   Make sure to include the manuals! 04:49  |  Ryan 20/04/07
  8.   Billy T 05:11  |  Jon 20/04/07
  9.   Smart Bomb, Dumb Airforce 05:14  |  Ed 20/04/07
  10.   What difference does it make. Smart bombs didn`t win war for IDF 05:18  |  Yossi Cronenberg 20/04/07
  11.   #5 Selleing arms... 06:49  |  jake 20/04/07
  12.   #1 Brod 06:53  |  jake 20/04/07
  13.   Israel should again sell weapons to China 06:56  |  Sam Weinstein 20/04/07
  14.   All weapons today are equal 06:57  |  spyguy 20/04/07
  15.   American Contractors will be Operating Them 06:58  |  Efox 20/04/07
  16.   "Samson Option" = suicide 07:10  |  spyguy 20/04/07
  17.   JDAM it.... 07:21  |  Ilan 20/04/07
  18.   response to #14 07:48  |  rich 20/04/07
  19.   The Saudis developed even smarter bombs and tested them in NY 08:07  |  Dan 20/04/07
  20.   Self punishment 08:15  |  Jog. Skart. 20/04/07
  21.   Big Business wins again! 08:27  |  Jim 20/04/07
  22.   # 4 Billy T 09:12  |  Jim 20/04/07
  23.   Rich #18 - There are no real secrets 09:19  |  spyguy 20/04/07
  24.   # 7 Ryan 09:21  |  Jim 20/04/07
  25.   Sam #13 - Go ahead and sell to China 09:27  |  spyguy 20/04/07
  26.   #10 Yossi from Jerusalem 09:37  |  Jim 20/04/07
  27.   # 12 Brod 09:43  |  Jim 20/04/07
  28.   # 13 Sam Weinstein 09:47  |  Jim 20/04/07
  29.   # 14 spyguy, wiseguy 09:54  |  Jim 20/04/07
  30.   # 15 Efox 09:58  |  Jim 20/04/07
  31.   # 17 JDAM if 10:06  |  Jim 20/04/07
  32.   Gandhi on War 10:11  |  Clickfool 20/04/07
  33.   # 16 spyguy 10:13  |  Jim 20/04/07
  34.   to #13 Sam Weinstein 10:16  |  Leb 20/04/07
  35.   Maureen #2 10:33  |  Zelkha 20/04/07
  36.   NOT THAT SMART I THINK 10:35  |  indrajaya 20/04/07
  37.   NOT THAT SMART I THINK 10:35  |  indrajaya 20/04/07
  38.   A smart move 10:43  |  Chris Linthwaite 20/04/07
  39.   #1 Brod: Try Reading the News Rather then Fiction 10:48  |  Tupac 20/04/07
  40.   1 Brod: Israeli "sins" are well documented by human right groups 10:53  |  Tupac 20/04/07
  41.   Saudi Arabia never had the political will to attack Israel 10:57  |  David G 20/04/07
  42.   THE MILITARY SUPLUS IN SAUDI ARABIA MUST RUN TO 11:15  |  paul harris 20/04/07
  43.   Weapons of medium destruction 11:27  |  Labhras 20/04/07
  44.   Then the US shouldn`t object to Israel selling there weapons 11:28  |  x 20/04/07
  45.   smart bombs 12:13  |  haidara 20/04/07
  46.   The most threathening ... 12:15  |  Edith 20/04/07
  47.   In response to #19 12:47  |  Dave 20/04/07
  48.   2#Maureen I love your post 12:49  |  alonitzafoni 20/04/07
  49.   #34 Leb 14:35  |  Sam Weinstein 20/04/07
  50.   #25 Spyguy 14:39  |  Sam Weinstein 20/04/07
  51.   Spyguy #16 14:43  |  Brod 20/04/07
  52.   Jim #27 14:46  |  Brod 20/04/07
  53.   #42 paul harris 14:46  |  Chris Linthwaite 20/04/07
  54.   Tupac #39, #40 14:51  |  Brod 20/04/07
  55.   Questionable move 14:54  |  Brod 20/04/07
  56.   It makes little or no difference. 15:15  |  Deborah 20/04/07
  57.   GATES VISIT and SALES to SAUDIS 15:16  |  ray 20/04/07
  58.   industria revolution tech.restrictions does`nt apply today 15:25  |  arab 20/04/07
  59.   jake the fake 15:29  |  Yonatan 20/04/07
  60.   spuguy on Samson Option 15:33  |  Yonatan 20/04/07
  61.   Not extremely smart 15:38  |  Tosefta 20/04/07
  62.   Weapons Tech 15:54  |  Aero 20/04/07
  63.   Smart bombs to Wahabis is stupid 16:06  |  B 20/04/07
  64.   Smart Bombs vs Packing Knives 16:14  |  Jane 20/04/07
  65.   Smart Bombs to Saudi Arabia 16:15  |  S. Blackard 20/04/07
  66.   Que Politica! 16:32  |  Joyce 20/04/07
  67.   Que Politica! 16:32  |  Joyce 20/04/07
  68.   #10 Yossi (Yussuf) 16:38  |  * BEN JABO 20/04/07
  69.   #16 Spyguy - Israel hasn`t THREATENED 16:44  |  * BEN JABO 20/04/07
  70.   USA and The Saudis 16:44  |  Michael T 20/04/07
  71.   ah! 16:45  |  Joyce 20/04/07
  72.   # 40 Tupac 16:49  |  Lynn 20/04/07
  73.   When the US is run out of Iraq 16:50  |  steve 20/04/07
  74.   #44 NOPE!!! 16:50  |  Lynn 20/04/07
  75.   Saudi Arms 16:55  |  Michael T 20/04/07
  76.   maxwell smart ...call control ...asap...99 17:08  |  ken yes ken 20/04/07
  77.   USA and GW`s Sins 17:15  |  mikhail 20/04/07
  78.   U.S. Sells Smart Bombs to Saudi 17:16  |  Carl Anderson 20/04/07
  79.   Saudi Arabia killed 3,000 Americans 17:19  |  David 20/04/07
  80.   #40, Tupac, NYT = All Lies fit to print 17:21  |  David 20/04/07
  81.   Not extremely smart 17:40  |  Tosefta 20/04/07
  82.   Go to the Source 17:42  |  Solon 20/04/07
  83