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Push to upgrade military ties with Israel

Australia should ­upgrade military and diplomatic relations with ­Israel to tap into its expertise in counter-terrorism and hi-tech weapons systems, according to a major ­report to be released today.

Australia could benefit from ­Israel’s expertise in unmanned aerial systems, ship-borne missile defence, cyber-warfare, armoured vehicle protection, smart sensors and a range of other capabilities.

Both nations are intimate US allies and operate a great deal of common US defence equipment, including soon the F-35A version of the Joint Strike Fighter.

The report, The Wattle and The Olive by Anthon­y Bergin of the Australian Strat­egic Policy Institute and Efrai­m Inbar from Israel’s Begin-Sadat Centre for Strategic Studies, suggests Australia and Israel eventually would have enough common strategic and political interests to sustain a two-plus-two dialogue of foreign and defence ministers.

Read the full article by Greg Sheridan at the Australian.