Page 2 - ATODAY

A2 UP FRONT
Tuesday 13 december 2016
US defense secretary in Israel as country gets F-35 jets

ROBERT BURNS rity than ever before,” and plane will give them an ad- for everybody that Israel bound weapons shipments
AP National Security Writer the F-35s are evidence of vantage over their neigh- will keep on holding the in neighboring Syria.
NEVATIM AIR FORCE BASE, that. bors for years to come. high-end technology in this Israel has also hinted in the
Israel (AP) — The vanguard “From its stealth technol- They are committed to area.” past at making plans to
of Israel’s new fleet of F-35 ogy to its fighter capabili- buying 50 of them. The purchase of the F-35 strike Iran, some 1,000 kilo-
fighter jets roared onto the ties, the F-35 will allow pilots Earlier, the deputy com- elevates the entire Israeli meters (625 miles) away,
Nevatim air base Monday, if the Islamic Republic
ushering in a new era for presses forward with its nu-
Israeli air power and sharp- clear program. The threat
ening its military edge in a of Israeli action in Iran has
volatile Mideast. dropped since last year’s
The arrival of Israel’s first two nuclear accord.
F-35 stealth aircraft also The Pentagon’s F-35 pro-
highlighted the Obama gram has been criticized
administration’s commit- by members of the U.S.
ment to providing its ally Congress over testing prob-
with the latest U.S. military lems, delays and cost over-
advances. runs. International buyers
An elaborate ceremony at include Britain, South Ko-
Nevatim in southern Israel rea, Israel, Italy, Australia,
was delayed several hours Canada, Turkey and Ja-
because poor weather pan.
kept the F-35s from taking While the planes were stuck
off from Italy for the flight to in Italy, U.S. President-elect
Israel. Donald Trump lashed out
In attendance were U.S. against the program. “The
Defense Secretary Ash F-35 program and cost is
Carter and Prime Minister out of control,” he tweet-
Benjamin Netanyahu. ed. “Billions of dollars can
Speaking shortly before the and will be saved on mili-
planes landed, Netanyahu tary (and other) purchases
thanked Carter and Presi- after January 20th.”
dent Barack Obama. U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter waves to a group of Iraqi and U.S. soldiers during his visit to the Jeff Babione, the executive
Qayara air base, south of Mosul, Iraq, Sunday, Dec. 11, 2016. The vanguard of Israel’s new fleet of
“We value this commit- F-35 fighter jets roared onto the Nevatim air base Monday. U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter and vice president and general
ment to the alliance with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were on hand for the arrival. manager of the F-35 pro-
Israel,” he said. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban) gram at Lockheed Martin,
Netanyahu issued a warn- defended the cost, saying
ing to Israel’s enemies. “I to evade detection and fly mander of the Nevatim Air air force to a higher level, that as production ramps
want to also say clearly, at supersonic speeds while Force base in southern Isra- the colonel said, adding up the price of an individ-
anyone who thinks to at- conducting air defense; el said the new fighters will that four Israeli pilots have ual jet will fall to $85 million,
tack us will be attacked, intelligence, surveillance, give Israel an upper hand been trained to fly the “in the 2019 or the 2020
anyone who thinks to de- and reconnaissance; or over its neighbors for years planes and that more will timeframe.”
stroy us is positioning them- ground attack missions,” to come. be shown how to use them. “When we get to $85 mil-
selves to an existential Carter said. “We are going to be very “This specific airplane is go- lion dollars, the F-35 will be
threat. That is a vital con- The F-35 is considered to strong for a long time, hav- ing to be a very good one less expensive than any
dition to ensure our future. be the world’s most so- ing these airplanes. And Is- for the next decades,” he fourth-generation fighter in
History teaches us a simple phisticated new warplane, rael has to be strong in this said. the world, and you’ll have
thing: weak states don’t equipped with stealth ca- region for its existence,” In recent years, Israel has the premier fifth-generation
survive,” Netanyahu said in pabilities that allow it to said Col. Asaf, who could reportedly carried out long- fighter, so that’s an incred-
Hebrew. evade or delay detection be identified only by his first range airstrikes as far away ible value for anyone oper-
Carter said the U.S. “is more by the top radar systems. name in line with military as Sudan, and is believed ating the airplane,” he told
committed to Israeli secu- Israeli officials believe the regulations. “It’s a message to have struck Hezbollah- reporters at the base.q
Pope urges new culture of nonviolence for world politics

NICOLE WINFIELD “Violence is not the cure trine had been used to theory was no longer ad- and (appealed) to the
Associated Press for our broken world,” read justify and endorse military equate for today’s world. president to ensure that
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope the message released action rather than prevent Francis, named after the international humanitarian
Francis is calling for a re- Monday. it. peace-loving St. Francis law is fully respected with
newed culture of nonvio- Earlier this year, the Vatican They called for Francis to of Assisi, has echoed his regard to the protection
lence to inform global poli- hosted a conference of develop an encyclical on predecessors in condemn- of the civilians and access
tics today, saying military peace activists who called “active nonviolence.” ing wars and promoting to humanitarian aid,” the
responses to conflicts only on the Catholic Church At a news conference peace. Vatican said.
breed more violence. to renounce its “just war” launching the message That said, on Monday he In his world peace mes-
Francis cited Mother Te- doctrine, which condones Monday, Francis’ point- sent a letter to Syrian Presi- sage, Francis repeated
resa, Mahatma Ghandi the use of force to stop an man on justice and peace dent Bashar al-Assad and the Vatican’s call for the
and Martin Luther King Jr. unjust aggression if certain issues, Cardinal Peter Turk- the international commu- prohibition and abolition
as models of nonviolent conditions are met. The ac- son, said he couldn’t rule nity urging an end to the of nuclear weapons, and
peacemakers in his annual tivists urged a new peace- out a possible encyclical Syrian conflict. In the let- added: “I plead with equal
message for the Catho- making framework based or a special gathering of ter, Francis condemned all urgency for an end to do-
lic Church’s World Day of on Gospel-mandated non- bishops on the theme of forms of “extremism and mestic violence and to
Peace, which is celebrat- violence, arguing that too nonviolence. He said the terrorism from whatever the abuse of women and
ed each Jan. 1. often the “just war” doc- church’s current “just war” quarter they may come, children.”q