Peretz to Barak: Deploy anti-missile system near Gaza
Comment by former defense min. comes as IDF says it will only deploy Iron Dome system in IAF bases.
By Amos Harel Tags: Israel defense system Sderot Gaza Israel newsFormer defense minister Amir Peretz urged Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Wednesday to deploy the Iron Dome anti-rocket system in the southern town of Sderot as soon as possible.
Peretz's comment come as the Israel Defense Forces said it had no intention of permanently deploying the Iron Dome system to protect Sderot against rocket attacks.
According to an IDF plan, the battery will initially be deployed at air force bases in the south and will be set up elsewhere only during significant escalations on the Gaza border.
Peretz said that a course of action such as that stated by the IDF was "irresponsible toward the people of Sderot and other towns bordering on the Gaza Strip."
The former minister and Labor MK added that he intended to raise the matter in the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, adding that Israel should do anything in its power to speed up the deployment of the Iron Dome system along the Gaza border and, later, in the North.
In the past three years, government ministers have repeatedly promised that the batteries would be deployed in the field and would effectively defend communities near the Gaza Strip. Sderot has been mentioned several times as the first town to benefit from the new system because of the many rocket attacks it has suffered over the past eight years. Much of the testing for Iron Dome was completed over the past month. In one especially impressive test in the Negev, the system downed several barrages of incoming rockets. Defense officials announced that by March air defense units would receive the first battery, which would be declared operational by May.
However, Haaretz has learned that acquiring and deploying the system will apparently be much slower than the development efforts by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems; the company completed its work in record time - two and a half years. The current plan is to acquire a relatively small number of batteries and a limited number of missiles and avoid deploying them in the field.
A senior source in the General Staff explained that two tests of the system still need to be carried out. "We are still not at the decision stage on the way the system will be used," the source said. "We need to fully evaluate the missile's capabilities and only then determine the extent of the acquisition."
Media misunderstanding
The source said the media had failed to understand the real purpose of the system; reporters have described Iron Dome as a routine means for intercepting Qassam rockets and Grad-type Katyushas.
"This is a system that is expected to counter much bigger rockets that may be in the Gaza Strip, like the Fajr-5," he said. The Iranian-made Fajr-5 is in Hezbollah's arsenal and has a range of 75 kilometers. It carries a warhead of between 100 and 150 kilograms.
On the other hand, the source says, bomb shelters and the "Color Red" air-raid alarm will remain the main way to deal with Qassams and Katyushas.
"There is no point in routinely firing intercept missiles against a single Qassam," the source said, noting that Qassam attacks have been rare since Israel's military operation in the Gaza Strip a year ago. "Iron Dome should be used at times of escalation or against bigger rockets."
Another factor, apparently, is that since the number of operational batteries will be small at the outset, the IDF wants to avoid a situation in which one town receives permanent protection while its neighbor remains vulnerable.
"The IDF developed its operational doctrine for the Iron Dome system by taking a comprehensive view, out of an understanding that it is necessary to provide an effective response to a wide range of threats, and in several theaters of operation, on short notice," the IDF Spokesman's Office said.
"The Iron Dome system is a mobile one, and the location of the batteries will be chosen in accordance with our assessment of the security situation, which will be examined shortly before the system is declared ready for operational use."
It seems that two considerations lie behind the plan for using the system: budget constraints and Iron Dome's position on the IDF's priority list. The IDF decided that the system would be operated by air defense units, but a decision has not yet been made on which procurement budget will supply the funds for purchasing it.
Thus, at the current stage, the decision will apparently be to procure only five to seven batteries and a limited number of intercept missiles. Many more batteries would be required to protect the areas near the Gaza Strip and along the northern border.
At the same time, the IDF recently canceled plans to purchase tens of millions of dollars worth of one type of anti-aircraft missile and froze a planned purchase of another type of missile.
Thus the fear is that, for all defense officials' talk about the project's importance, Iron Dome will have trouble competing for funding against very expensive projects that are dearer to the air force's heart. These include the the F-35 fighter jet and more-intensive training. If so, the IDF will apparently have to find funding for Iron Dome outside the air force's budget, something Defense Minister Ehud Barak has recently been working on.
One possibility under consideration is selling Iron Dome to an Asian country, which would bring down the price of each system by increasing sales volume. Representatives of that country witnessed last month's test in the Negev and expressed interest in buying the system.
In any case, the period is over for playing down the rocket threat; this attitude had delayed the development of a short-range missile interception system by seven years. But this message may not have been internalized at every level of the defense establishment, because for all the talk about missile defense, Israel has yet to significantly change its priorities.
Two months ago, at a meeting on the missile threat, the head of the IDF's research and development program, Brig. Gen. Danny Gold, briefed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the means available for defending against missile attacks. He began with deterrent measures and ways of targeting launchers, leaving defensive measures to the end of his presentation.
Rafael's chief executive, Maj. Gen. (res.) Yedidia Ya'ari, could not restrain himself: He interrupted Gold to warn that "if there is no defense, there will also be no offense."
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The real issue is the cost of the weapons. One of Hamas' rockets costs $8 to build, one of Iron Domes's costs $10,000 per missile. So even if the system is deployed, Hamas could bankrupt Israel just by firing off rockets and having them intercept them.
"The reason why the IDF prefers Dome is because it is built in Israel using US military aid money i.e. Israel accepts US money, and then spends it inside Israel" I thought the agreement was that Israel had to spend American money on American equipment?
and its much more effective against the threats facing sderot than your iron dome, which is virtually useless against them. why do you think barak started wanting them after last years revelations about how ineffective iron dome would be against qassams fired from gaza? and mortars? not even the tiniest chance of defending against them. finally, you're wrong. its been as a successful defense against against rocket/mortar attacks. at balad air base in iraq for one, where the rockets are smaller and probably faster than the homemade qassams. also, the 20mm rounds self destruct, which significantly reduces the risk for civilians civilians downrange...to almost nil. 100% effective? nothing is. but it's far superior for defending sderot from gazan rockets and mortars than is the iron dome, which by its own operating parameters, would likely be 100% ineffective.
I do not think that Peretz' achievements as Defence Minister should inspire many people with confidence in his judgement on the best way to defend Sderot. I think on this issue it would be more sensible to listen to those with professional military expertise. Peretz should have stuck to his guns as an advocate of trade union socialism for the workers. That was what he built his career on and if he had taken the trouble to combine it with a better thought out economic policy for the nation as a whole he could have accomplished great things. Instead he threw it all away by becoming the least qualified Defence Minister ever. Pity.
"The reason why the IDF prefers Dome is because it is built in Israel using US military aid money i.e. Israel accepts US money, and then spends it inside Israel" I thought the money given to Israel by America had to be spent on American weapons?
"Still got that hand outstretched, heh, Brnd?" How right you are, Johnboy! Israel is always begging America for more, and more, and more...
some weeks ago i already wrote here: ----- it only passed some tests in "labatorium" conditions. First some should be installed in the north and north/east of Gaza (as minimal distance is 5km so good for ashkelon ashdod and tel aviv but not for sdrot), to test them in real consitions. ------ indeed red alarm and bunker give in sedrot more protect then iron dome. its just a known fact (for years) But there are available systems! cause that the IDF should be ashamed telling red alarm and bunker is the only solution! This person should be sent home
this system is for long range missles, more dangerous one's then the kassams of sdrot first of all it won't be capable to intercept on time ,incoming kassams. (see specifications!) second it would be to expensive in use. Sdrot needs a system that works in the situation of sedrot. Like the systems used on ships (basicly smart big machineguns ,guided by computer and radar which locates incoming missle and fires lot of big bullets to it) There ARE good working systems available today (and yesterday and some years ago) who can do a good job in sdrot for less money! So what game is played here! No its not for my own interest i live today in holland, but today a lot of children! live in sdrot and still the government refuses to install available proofen good systems. just for politics and bussines.money counts, sdrot-people do not
"some" of the media just ran with it...despite plenty of revelations elsewhere in the media, that it's virtually useless against qassams and mortars. but it was israeli politicians who were selling it as a defense against hamas rockets. meanwhile, while selling israelis on iron dome, barak waited too long on the ground based phalanx system, and he's at the bottom of a long waiting list. got its radar system, but waiting on the rest.
LB: "And...US has never offered to donate any to Sderot, which was my point." Mark has already mentioned that Israel can use the US military aid money to "buy" phalanx i.e. "buying" it is effectively a USA "donation". The reason why the IDF prefers Dome is because it is built in Israel using US military aid money i.e. Israel accepts US money, and then spends it inside Israel. So who cares if it doesn't work: Uncle Sam's MONEY stays in Israel, and that is what's important.
Should have gone with tactical High-Energy Laser (THEL) which is already working. THAT system choice was killed when wide-eyed military policy wonks demanded a mobile version or nothing. Now we learn, after all the assuaging of Sderot's terrorized citizens by Ehud Barak, that Iron Dome hits larger missiles not small artillery rockets. The only thing Barak is good for is to be the horoshet paste that holds the coalition together for Bibi. Paste for brains -- that's Ehud Barak. Politicians often bend the truth, but Barak is going to get people killed directly.
Set them up in Sderot and everyone will see that it doesn't work. Keep them out of Sderot until there is a REAL big shitfight and then people won't notice they don't work, what with all the other thunder and fury going on. Yes, very wise tactics if you have a system that you know can't live up to its billing. Still, it means that the US dollars stay in Israel, heh?
As you seem to conveniently forget, Gaza had unlimited crossings into israel, its own port, and its own airport, too, after Oslo. Doesn't have these anymore because it chose to launch a terrorist war against Israel, and they were destroyed. Gaza gets its own port and use of its waters to get there when it recognizes the Jewish State of Israel, signs a peace treaty, and demilitarizes, and everybody agrees that these are the terms (except Hamas). Besides, it would take many years to build a deepwater port capable of unloading large cargo ships. What, you think Israel would let Hamas have one now, so they could offload Iranian missiles? C'mon.
Phlanx is not designed for this sort of thing its designed for protecting small targets like military bases so it would not have been ideal for this problem but I do agree it would have been better than nothing and could have been operational years ago The problem is that after Lebanon in 2006 Peretz & Olmert wanted to be seen as doing something so they handed out around $300 million and said to Raffel invent something. They wanted to say we have a domestically made system which will protect us one day instead of buying something from the US off the shelf for a fraction of the price right away It also sounded great for the media that the Olmert / Peretz government was going to develop something to stop rocket attacks in future I knew this was going to happen Iron Dome was going to come onto the scene and then the IDF were going to start wondering if its actually affordable and for politics mainly have to cancel other projects to pay for something the IDF dont really want much
The "battle-proven" Phalanx system is a 20-yr. old point defense weapon that works against small targets 50% of the time, at best, and is not effective against barrages - each unit can not engage more than one target. High-angle Phalanx is too dangerous to use in close proximity to civilians - falling shrapnel and intense noise, even more disruptive to life than the kassams; it has NEVER been "battle-proven" in this application. Warships and airbases only. And...US has never offered to donate any to Sderot, which was my point.
It is easy to see how one could become anti-.. when idiots state international law studied at medical school to defend the undefensible Israel from the security of their ratholes in Ca.. I heard also that the cost of one missile anti-missile costs 100,000$, its accuracy NOT proven = versus 1 Kassam which costs 6,000. Simply pathetic!
Phalanx is only good for the short range stuff, aircraft and cruise missiles. In Iraq, they pulled the first ones off of ships, at first. The purchasing people at the Pentagon were sorely ticked off. They didn't get to "contract" for a special system. I like it because it saves lives, in particular, my son's and several working with him as they built a fence for a new base in Iraq while under mortar and rocket attack. With the $3 billion US credit, hundreds can be had by Israel @ NO COST. They only cost a few $$ hundred thousand apiece - probably cheaper in bulk.
I often wonder whether Hamas really would want to rebuild Gaza. For the destruction may be well an open sore. Yet it has the media attention, vis a vis "Bad Israel" and the `plight of the oppressed. Get my drift..? Regarding Iron Dome, the media has not been helpful neither has the Defense Budget. This system was built rather for incoming long range missiles. As Mark has always advocated the Phalanx System, well that could be an answer for Sderot, yet the system is costly. Again, Sderot is a target, yet when any missile now launched from Gaza is met with an IAF reprisal, one must assume that beating a monkey with a stick will in the end become the order of the day, that is until Hamas has learnt restraint. Good day from snowy Swiss Alps.
and the aid can enter that way. Israel has been blockading Gaza port since the 1967 war.
The US has the technology, proven in battle. Iron Dome (not battle proven) cannot hit a rocket or mortar heading for Sderot - not enough acquisition time. The US provides $3 billion annually which would pay for several hundred proven systems to protect Sderot - for free to the Israeli taxpayer. But Israeli politicians refuse to protect Sderot using proven technology, something Iron Dome cannot do. Israeli politicians do not want Sderot protected. That takes away the raison d'etre for Likud and the parties to its right.
Israel should inform "donor" nations that want to pay for rebuilding Gaza that the price of Israel allowing this is that they will also rebuild Kassam rocket-damage to Sderot, will reinforce Sderot against future Hamas rocket damage, and will pay for Sderot to acquire sufficient Iron Dome batteries to protect its civilian installations. Or...Gaza can rebuild itself with mud bricks. Under international law, Israel does not have to allow ANY reconstruction of Gaza until the war is over and Gaza surrenders its rockets. It certainly does not have to allow such aid to cross its sovereign soil or enter through its ports,and given the massive quantities needed, that is the only way its getting there. So the price is fair treatment of Sderot civilians, too.
selling the product to another country I agree would lower its overall cost, but why not also start to charge the terrorist arab agressors where it really hurts.. their pocket. if for example it costs $25,000 per defense rocket that would be launched, then deduct that cost for a launched rocket from the money or goods thats transferred to them. if each anti-missle battery costs $5mil, then 7 batteries will cost the gaza arabs $35mil, etc, etc. after a few deductions such as this, Israel won't need to purchase additional defense missles or launchers, the arab missles will probably not be launched in the 1st place.
Going into the Gaze stirp or Lebance is more costly as far as I can see then this weapons systom can cost.
...and as myself and several others have written, an affordable array of Phalanx systems by Raytheon could have been deployed YEARS AGO for the shorter range quassams and protect Sderot. But then that would make all those thousands of shekels that went into the media site at Sderot rather a waste...