It seems we are buying missile defense systems for Israel at $100 million per pop? and they are made in Israel? The Iron Dome system has intercepted 90 percent of missile attacks on urban centers during the latest rocket bombardment from Gaza. The expensive systems were inaugurated last year amid controversy over its worth. A primitive Kassam rocket costs terrorists only a few hundred dollars while each Iron Dome anti-missile missile costs $50,000. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu stated Saturday night, “We will continue to improve home front defense including by means of additional Iron Dome systems, the effectiveness of which was shown again over the weekend." The Iron Dome system intercepted about 90 percent of the rockets fired at Be’er Sheva, Ashdod and Ashkelon, including three on Sunday morning. Despite the rocket barrage, Israel kept open the Erez Crossing for passengers and employees of international organizations operating in Gaza. Kerem Shalom was open for the delivery of 200 truckloads to Gaza residents. Its deployment this past weekend appears to have defeated Hamas, at least for the time being. The terrorist organization has been talking with the new regime in Egypt for another ceasefire after failing to inflict mass casualties or property damage on Israel. The problem with the Iron Dome is its cost and the lack of enough systems to defend all of Israel. The United States is providing funds to Israel to buy more of the made-in-Israel systems, each one of which costs more than $100 million. The Iron Dome has been able to defend Israel’s three most populous southern cities, but if Hamas unleashes longer-range missiles that can reach Rehovot, Kiryat Gat and Kiryat Malachi, closer to metropolitan Tel Aviv, the IDF would lack enough systems to cover everyone. Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Sunday morning that expanding the system should be a national emergency project. In addition to the defensive action of deploying the Iron Dome, the IDF also has taken the offensive against terrorists. It targeted two members of the Popular Resistance Committee terror organization on Friday. The squad was responsible for planning a combined terror attack that was to take place via the Sinai Peninsula and the Israel-Egypt border. In response to the ensuing rocket and missile bombardment from Gaza, the Israel Air Force targeted several weapons manufacturing facilitates and terrorist cells preparing to launch missiles.
An interesting dilemma What they are saying is that expanding the system should be a national emergency project....what they are expecting, but not saying (at least not publicly) is that it should be an internationally funded project. You can expect to see someone coming yarmulka / kippah in hand seeking appointments with Congressmen / Congresswomen and Senators, begging for US$$$$$ to help the project along. It won't be so much begging as blackmail, as they will moan and wail, that without it, there will be yet another Israeli / Arab war, and it would be so much more expensive for the U$A to sort THAT $h!tfight out than donating a paltry amount for the anti-missile systems. All the Arabs have to do, is to increase the tempo of their rocket barrage, and they have the opportunity of bankrupting not only Israel, but the USA also... Lets look at the mathematics of financial attrition ....excluding infrastructure, 3C and hardware costs.....for the cost of one Israeli anti-missile missile, the arabs could buy 100 surface to surface missiles at say, $500 a pop....to defend against the attacks of 100 arab surface to surface missiles it would cost the Israelis, assuming a very generous 100% successful interception rate, something in the order of $5million dollars. Each arab missile would bring Israel closer and closer to bankruptsy, assuming that Israel can keep producing anti-missile missiles as fast as the arabs are firing their missiles.
