BREAKING/CHINA - Photos show Israeli misiles on Chinese plane

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What a bizarre twist!

Haaretz

Photo shows Chinese fighter planes carry Israeli missiles

Amnon Barzilai, Ha’aretz Correspondent

Chinese F-8 fighter planes, like the one that crashed with an American reconnaissance aircraft on April 1, carry Israeli-made Python 3 missiles, a photograph of the plane in question has revealed. The photograph, taken in January and clearly depicting the air-to-air missiles manufactured by Israel's Rafael Armament Development Authority, appeared on films released recently by U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, and distributed Sunday by the Associated Press.

Officials in Israel's security establishment have expressed concern in recent days that the showdown between China and the United States is liable to deliver a mortal blow to deals prepared between Israel and China involving the sale of weapons and sophisticated electronic security systems.

The video clip shows the Chinese plane during an air maneuver conducted in January, over the South China Sea, providing no indication of whether the F-8 was carrying the Phyton missiles when it crashed with the American EP-3 surveillance plane at the start of April.

Python 3 missiles were sold secretly by Israel to China during the 1980s, before diplomatic relations between the two countries were formally established. Millionaire Shaul Eisenberg represented Israeli governments in the sales. At the time of the transaction, Python 3 missiles were considered highly advanced weapons. Israeli governments and Rafael refused to acknowledge the sale of the missiles to China.

-- Anonymous, April 15, 2001

Answers

"Officials in Israel's security establishment have expressed concern in recent days that the showdown between China and the United States is liable to deliver a mortal blow to deals prepared between Israel and China involving the sale of weapons and sophisticated electronic security systems. "

well golly gee, i would hope so! what do we send to israel each year, somthing like 12 billion in foreign aid? this is some whacky chess game.

it's not as though anybody is going to notice. john boy kennedy death got better ratings than the latest incident in china.

-- Anonymous, April 16, 2001


BWD, they did sort of play it down, didn't they?

people at work discuss a variety of topics, and I chuckle when I hear about stuff that I have read on the boards. When I hear something that is incorrect, I somtimes step in to correct that miss info, but mostly I just smile and keep reading my books.

This particular topic, for all its possibles to escalate, never was mentioned except in passing, much like the way they covered in on TV, a five minute blimp maybe, and then on to the weather...

-- Anonymous, April 16, 2001


Maybe because Bush was doing such a good job and those of left-wing bias in the media simply didn't want to give him any more points than absolutely necessary. Now if it had been Clinton, hell he would have been all over the screens and newspapers, looking properly concerned, and would have been in Hawaii and Whidbey, causing logistics problems and holding up everything. It would have been a GREAT opportunity for Bush to grandstand but he chose to let the families have their day--and hug their sweeties ASAP. I hope he gets those folks to the White House, maybe pins a medal or two on the ones who saved the crew.

-- Anonymous, April 16, 2001

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