Israel's Lengthy Shopping List

It may be coincidence, but U.S. military aid to Israel seems to flow most freely when Jerusalem complies most readily with Washington's wishes. The 1973 Yom Kippur War is an example. When Israel reluctantly yielded to American pressure and lifted its siege of the encircled Egyptian Third Army, thus giving up an opportunity to cripple Cairo's military machine for years to come, compensation quickly followed. U.S. military assistance soared to a total of $3 billion in 1973-74. After Secretary of State Henry Kissinger's shuttle diplomacy failed last March, the flow of strategic and tactical weaponry to Israel began to dry up, and so did the delivery of spare parts for existing materiel. A $2.5 billion Israeli request for military and economic aid was shelved while the U.S. undertook a "reassessment" of its Middle East policy.

Last week, with a new interim peace agreement apparently in the offing, the Israelis were once again on the receiving end of U.S. largesse. A team of four high-level Israeli economic experts was summoned to Washington to discuss an aid package of military support, grants and economic assistance whose price tag has risen from $2.5 billion to $3.25 billion. One State Department official had no hesitation in characterizing this sum--most of it in the form of an outright grant that Israel will not have to repay--as a "reward" for the new peace agreement. Of the additional $750 million, U.S. officials reckon that $250 million will cover cost increases for military hardware, $150 million will be used to dismantle Israel's old defense lines in the Sinai and erect new ones, and $350 million will compensate Jerusalem for the loss of revenues from the Abu Rudeis oil wells.

Provided the political settlement goes through, the Israelis are expected to get most of what they want. Remarked an Israeli politician last week: "Our negotiating position at this point might better be described as a shopping list."

The most crucial items on the list are advanced military weapons that can offset the high-grade hardware delivered or promised to the Arab countries by the U.S.S.R. in 1974-75. These include at least two squadrons (totaling 36 planes) of the U.S.'s F-15 Eagle fighter. The 1,650-m.p.h. F-15 is the only aircraft that may be capable of outperforming the MIG-23 "Flogger," which threatens to be Israel's scourge in the air. Thus far the Soviet Union has delivered 70 MIG-23s to Syria, and others are on order in Iraq and Egypt.

Israel will also at last acquire the Lance surface-to-surface guided missiles it has coveted since 1971. The missile can deliver either a conventional or nuclear warhead over a 70-mi. range. Because of its accuracy and reliability, it is believed to be five times more effective than the Soviet-made Scud B missiles in Syria and Egypt. The Israelis are believed to possess at least ten nuclear bombs with 20-kiloton yield --the size of the U.S. atom bomb dropped on Nagasaki. These bombs are made with the uranium that is a byproduct of their Dimona reactor. According to TIME Washington Correspondent Jerry Hannifin, Israel's scientists have developed a method of enriching the uranium into weapons-grade material by using laser beams rather than the more cumbersome gas-diffusion process. The bombs can also be delivered by three types of plane in the Israeli air force, or by the Israeli-produced Jericho missile, which is capable of carrying a 1,500-lb. nuclear warhead more than 300 miles.

Another item for acquisition is the latest American RPV, or remotely powered vehicle. The Israelis want several squadrons of these unmanned, jet-piloted aircraft, which have photo reconnaissance and combat strike capabilities while under the control of a "mother" aircraft miles away. New versions of the Israeli war horse, the M-60 tank, are also needed. Other items on the shopping list: more U.S. "smart bombs" that are guided by laser beams or TV against antiaircraft missile batteries; electronic "black boxes" that jam enemy radar and antiaircraft missile guidance systems; and a helicopter launcher for antitank missiles.

U.S. economic assistance and arms sales to Arab countries will come to $2.2 billion in 1975--including $1 billion to Saudi Arabia alone for military items. It is the Soviet Union, however, that provides most military hardware to the Arabs, either through credits or by direct sale. Recently, Congress has taken exception to some arms deals with Israel's enemies. Most notably, it is trying to reduce the Ford Administration's request to sell $350 million worth of advanced Hawk missile systems and Vulcan air-defense machine guns to Jordan.

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