THE enthusiasm of Israel’s new (just over three months here) ambassador to Manila is obvious: the shared history and current synergy between the two countries is so wide-ranging there’s so much he can do to keep expanding bilateral relations. In a word, it’s so hard to fail in keeping this relationship robust because the two peoples have so much in common: agriculture, science and technology, defense, culture, and the increasingly better climate for migrant workers.
In a recent visit to the BusinessMirror, where he engaged journalists at the BusinessMirror Coffee Club, Israel’s Ambassador to the Philippines Rafael Harpaz was coy on some facets of the two allies’ defense cooperation, especially details of some acquisitions. Nonetheless, he was clear about one thing: Israel will sustain its cooperation and level of support to the Armed Forces of the Philippines’s (AFP) modernization and counterterrorism efforts by remaining a key partner and supplier of its requirement for military technology and equipment.
Tel Aviv is emerging as an important partner in the military’s capability upgrade program, with Israeli firms delivering superior military hardware—from missiles to monitoring equipment—to one of the region’s least developed armies.
“The Philippines and Israel have very friendly relations. We are brothers. We are willing to share with you…our knowledge and experience in many areas,” said Harpaz.
Harpaz sat with the editors, executives and reporters of the BusinessMirror, the Philippines Graphic Magazine, Pilipino Mirror and DWIZ for nearly two hours last Tuesday for a discussion on Israel-Philippines relations that gravitated on various issues, including defense and security.
Military assistance
Without dwelling on the specifics of Israel’s contribution to the continuing capability buildup of the AFP, Harpaz said Manila and Tel Aviv are enjoying good relations.
“We have very good relations with the Philippines in so many areas, including on security cooperation, counterterrorism and defense,” the ambassador, who is barely warming his seat as Israel’s top diplomat to the Philippines, said. He was assigned to Manila in August, with just days to prepare for a major task: preparing for the historic visit of President Duterte to Israel in September.
A part of his itinerary was a visit to an arms event, wherein he was shown with the best of Israel’s military products.
During the visit, Duterte ordered the military to only buy intelligence and monitoring equipment from Israel, saying that while other countries have expressed their willingness to provide such similar equipment, these would, however, end up “listening” in on the Philippines, a euphemism for spying.
Among biggest buyers
The Philippines transitioned into one of Southeast Asia’s biggest buyers of Israeli military equipment when it signed in 2016 a P2.68-billion contract for the delivery of three air surveillance radars from Elta System Ltd., a subsidiary of Israel Aerospace Industries.
The radars were tapped to monitor the country’s airspace, including in the West Philippine Sea, and would complement the acquired squadron of FA-50 from South Korea.
In February this year, the Philippine Air Force confirmed that it has already received one of three ELM-2288 AD-STAR that it ordered from Elta, which will give the country its much-needed capability to monitor its western territory.
The ELM-2288 AD-STAR is an advanced 3D solid state long-range S-Band family of transportable radars designed to support air defense, early warning and traffic control activities.
The radar project was subsequently followed by other contracts, including the delivery of Spike-ER (extended range) surface-to-surface missiles for the Navy’s multipurpose attack craft (MPAC) by Rafael Advanced Defense Ltd.
The missile was successfully test-fired in August from one of the missile-armed MPAC in Limay, Bataan, hitting a designated target that was 6 kilometers away from the firing platform.
“The target was hit dead center even if the sea state condition was moderately rough with waves of at least a meter high, but within the normal firing conditions of the missile,” Navy Spokesman Cmdr. Jonathan Zata said at that time.
The accuracy and potency of the missile prompted Defense Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana to declare that more Israeli missiles will be coming, even for the other vessels of the Navy.
Sensors for FA-50
The BusinessMirror learned from a defense official that an Israeli firm has also been tapped to improve the sensor systems aboard the squadron of FA-50, the purpose of which cannot be disclosed due to its operational sensitivity.
Aside from weapons, Lorenzana said, the military will acquire unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), other radar systems and force protection equipment from Israeli companies.
But while Lorenzana made the statement right after Duterte’s trip to Israel, which he also joined, the Air Force has already reportedly locked down on Hermes 900, a drone manufactured by Elbit.
Counterterrorism
Harpaz, meanwhile, said that another area where Tel Aviv and Manila are greatly cooperating is in counterterrorism, noting that both countries are similarly situated when it comes to the issue of internal threats.
“We share the same threat. Terrorism is a global movement. It is not [only] a local movement here in the Philippines,” the Israeli ambassador said.
He spoke just as Israel carried out air raids on Hamas’s lairs in retaliation for the latter’s rocket attacks—landing 300—inside the country.
Without hinting that Manila should follow its stance in dealing with terrorists, Harpaz said Israel needed to be strong in facing its enemies who, he said, wanted nothing but the destruction of his country.
Asked about one of the most significant highlights of the five-month Marawi siege by IS-inspired homegrown terrorists, Harpaz nodded when asked if he knew that the weapons system mounted on one of the 28 armored personnel carriers that Elbit delivered to the military was responsible for the death of Isnilon Hapilon and Omarkhayam Maute, the two top leaders of the siege.
Military officials have admitted that the death of Hapilon and Maute ended the rebellion, the purpose of which was to establish an Islamic State-inspired caliphate in Mindanao.
Nonetheless, Harpaz sounded reticent in claiming credit for his country, beyond affirming their willingness to keep supporting the Philippines’s defense modernization program.
He said that, while Israel would never hesitate to help the Philippines in that regard, it would continue expanding activities in other areas for cooperation.
At the BusinessMirror Coffee Club, he happily disclosed that, in fact, bilateral negotiations had just been concluded, and that Israel was about to cut, by 85 percent, the recruitment fees that had been unjustly imposed on Israel-bound Filipino job seekers by recruiters.
He said Filipino workers are much-loved and admired in his country, mainly for their skills and their empathy. And, he added, because Israelis in general acknowledge the part the Philippines played in their history: first, by opening its doors to thousands of Jews during their persecution by Hitler in World War II; and second, by its decisive vote in the United Nations that sealed Israel’s right to be recognized as a state.
In the future, Harpaz said, he hoped to boost as well the tourist trade in a way that benefits both countries, happily noting that his country requires no visas for Filipino visitors.
Indeed, the distance between the two countries is steadily being bridged by the constantly flourishing people-to-people relations.
The “brothers in arms” are, beyond their shared weapons, after all, also brothers in spirit.
Image credits: Nonie Reyes, Gali Tibbon/Pool Photo via AP