The large Israeli arms manufacturers with businesses in Spain breathe easy. The Ministry of Defense that runs Margaret Robles does not plan to cancel the contracts already awarded over the last year to four companies in that country, including one of the main contractors of the Government of Benjamin Netanyahu.
In a letter sent to the Minister of Social Rights, Pablo BustinduyRobles assures that “it has not been sold nor acquired weapons to the State of Israel since October 7″ and recognizes that there are contracts in force with companies from that country for spare parts for military material of Israeli origin.
As he was able to verify Publicthe Ministry of Defense has awarded contracts in the last year to four Israeli arms companies. These businesses were not affected for the massacre in Gaza nor was the role of some of the winning companies in that genocide taken into account.
On August 12, Defense awarded a new contract to the company Elbit Systems for the maintenance of the Cardom mortar, in this case for 10,000 euros. The Haifa-based company is among the regular contractors of the ministry: According to data obtained by this newspaper, in the last year alone it has obtained different awards totaling more than six million euros.
In a conference call offered by the directors of Elbit Systems last May 28, those responsible recognized that the beginning of the atrocities in Gaza led to an increase in income of this company, which regularly collaborates with the Netanyahu Government.
According to the transcript of that meeting, the income from the “terrestrial” area of Elbit Systems “increased by 26% in the first quarter of 2024, mainly due to increased ammunition sales in Israel.”
The president of the company hired by Robles, Bezhlalel Machlis –a former artillery officer of the Israel Defense Forces– highlighted “the great demand” by the Ministry of Defense of that country, something that “rhas a positive impact on income and the growth of the company.
The manager stressed that the employees “have worked intensely for months and have made it possible for the company to meet the needs of the Ministry of Defense during the war.”
IMI Systems, a former public company that was acquired by Elbit Systems in 2018, also appears among the Israeli arms companies who obtained contracts from the Spanish Ministry of Defense in recent months.
On March 14, the portfolio led by Robles awarded him a contract of 10,000 euros for the acquisition of the so-called M339 Setter programmers, tools that seek to “improve” the shooting from battle tanks Leopard 2E used by the Spanish Army.
Israeli army “laboratory”
That same month, Rafael Advanced Defensea company based in the town of Haifa, obtained a contract for the provision of laser guides for fighter aircraft. The award was carried out through a procedure without publicity and reached 207 million euros.
This company is also among the contractors of the Netanyahu Government. “Rafael is a technological laboratory of the Israeli Ministry of Defenseso there is a very close relationship with the Israel Defense Forces,” he stated Guy Bittonresponsible for business development at Rafael’s Land and Maneuver Directorate, in a company statement issued on August 7, in the midst of the massacre in Gaza.
The Ministry of Defense also signed a contract with the Israeli company Netline Communications Technologies (NCT) for the acquisition of frequency inhibitor synchronization equipment for a value of 471,900 euros.
Among NTC customers there is the israeli armywhich has equipment supplied by this company to “neutralize” explosives.
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