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Axios from Tel Aviv

The Biden administration asked Israel for the old Hawk anti-aircraft missiles it has in storage in order to transfer them to Ukraine, three Israeli and U.S. officials told Axios.

Why it matters: Israel has so far rejected most U.S. and Ukrainian requests to provide advanced and defensive weaponry to Ukraine over concerns that such a move could create tensions with Russia and harm Israeli security interests in Syria. 

Ukraine has repeatedly asked Western countries for such weapons to help it defend itself against Russian strikes. 

Between the lines: Russia holds enormous influence in Syria but allows Israel to operate freely against Iranian activity there.

Flashback: Israel purchased the Hawk system from the U.S. in the 1960s to defend itself against Egyptian and Syrian airstrikes. 

At the time, the Raytheon-developed anti-aircraft system was cutting-edge technology. But in more recent years, Israel has turned to other systems, including the U.S. Patriot battery and its own Iron Dome and Arrow defensive systems. 

A decade ago, the Israeli military took the Hawk system out of service. A senior Israeli official told Axios that about 10 Hawk batteries and hundreds of interceptors remain in storage in Israel. 

Behind the scenes: Senior Israeli and U.S. officials said the Pentagon reached out to the Israeli Defense Ministry two weeks ago and requested the Hawk systems that are in storage in order to transfer them to Ukraine. 

A U.S. official said similar requests were made to several other countries that had the system in active service or in storage. 

The senior Israeli official said an Israeli Defense Ministry official told their U.S. counterparts there is no change in Israel’s policy not to provide weapons systems to Ukraine. 

According to the Israeli official, the Defense Ministry official said Israel's Hawk systems are “obsolete” and can’t function because of how long they've been in storage without maintenance. 

But the Israeli officials say that the response wasn't accurate. They stressed that while the launchers might be completely dysfunctional, the hundreds of Hawk interceptors Israel has in storage can be refurbished and used.

The Israeli Defense Ministry reiterated to Axios in a statement that the "position of the Israel security establishment [on giving military aid to Ukraine] hasn’t changed. Every request is being reviewed on a case-by-case basis.”

What they're saying: Earlier this month, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin gave a speech at an AIPAC leadership conference in Washington in which he hinted at the U.S. request to Israel for the Hawk missiles. But his remarks went almost completely unnoticed. 

In the speech, Austin mentioned how the Hawk systems helped Israel defend itself in the 1967 Six-Day War and 1973 Yom Kippur War, also known as the October War.

"Now, the Hawks are no longer state-of-the-art technology. But they can still help a besieged democracy defend itself," Austin said.

He added that the U.S. is working with its allies and partners to provide the Hawk capability to Ukraine.

Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect that an Israeli Defense Ministry official answered the Pentagon's request for the Hawk anti-aircraft missiles, but the official was not Dror Shalom as previously stated.

Scoop: U.S. asked Israel for its Hawk missiles to send to Ukraine

Israel told the U.S. there is no change in Israel’s policy not to provide weapons systems to Ukraine.

Israeli soliders stand next to a HAWK system near Jericho in 1993. Photo: Esaias Baitel/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images

Israeli officials stand next to a Hawk system in Jericho in 1993. Photo: Esaias Baitel/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images

Israel

Ukraine

Russia

The Biden administration asked Israel for the old Hawk anti-aircraft missiles it has in storage in order to transfer them to Ukraine, three Israeli and U.S. officials told Axios.Why it matters: Israel has so far rejected most U.S. and Ukrainian requests to provide advanced and defensive weaponry to Ukraine over concerns that such a move could create tensions with Russia and harm Israeli security interests in Syria.

China is becoming the most formidable rival America has faced, and the risk of confrontation with Russia, North Korea or Iran still looms. Authoritarians are rising, the chaotic Afghanistan exit revealed the limits of U.S. power, and the pandemic, climate change and other critical challenges continue to pose grave threats.

World

CIA director Bill Burns arrived in Tel Aviv on Thursday for visits to Israel and the occupied West Bank, where he is expected to meet Israeli and Palestinian leaders and his counterparts on both sides, according to two U.S. sources with knowledge of the issue.

Why it matters: Burn’s visit was pre-planned but it takes place amid the most significant escalation of tensions between Israel and the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza in months. 

The visit and Burns' meetings will likely be affected by the events on the ground.

State of play: Tensions in the region intensified on Thursday after the Israeli military killed nine Palestinians, including an elderly woman, during a raid in the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank. 

Several Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters were killed when a gunfight broke out during the raid. At least 20 Palestinians were wounded, including unarmed civilians. 

The Israeli military said that prior to the raid it had received intelligence about a group of Islamic Jihad operatives it suspected of carrying out armed attacks against Israeli soldiers. The group was planning more attacks, the Israeli military claimed.

Not long after the raid, the Palestinian Authority suspended its security coordination with Israel, raising concerns the situation in the West Bank could escalate even further. 

Overnight Thursday into Friday, the Islamic Jihad in Gaza fired several rockets toward Israel. Most were intercepted by Israel's Iron Done defense system. The Israeli air force retaliated with an air strike in Gaza.

The big picture: The last time the Palestinian Authority suspended its security coordination with Israel was in May 2020 following the Israeli government's plan to annex big parts of the West Bank.

The security coordination was restored several months later after the annexation was taken off the table as a result of the Abraham Accords. Still, the situation on the ground during this period significantly deteriorated.

Behind the scenes: The CIA has a close relationship with the Palestinian intelligence service and remained the sole communication channel between the U.S. and the Palestinian Authority when the latter severed relations with the Trump administration. 

The CIA, in addition to U.S. security coordinator Lt. Gen. Michael Fenzel, also plays a key role in supporting the security and intelligence coordination between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. 

Burns’ visit is part of a wider trip to the Middle East. On Monday, he visited Egypt and met with President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi and discussed regional issues, counterterrorism and intelligence cooperation, the Egyptian presidency said.

The CIA declined to comment on Burn's visit to Israel and the West Bank.

What’s next: Secretary of State Tony Blinken is expected to travel to the region this weekend. He will visit Israel and the West Bank on Monday and Tuesday, according to the State Department. 

State Department spokesperson Ned Price said the Biden administration is deeply concerned by the cycle of violence in the West Bank and called on all parties to de-escalate.

"We call on the parties to work together to improve the security situation in the West Bank.  Palestinians and Israelis equally deserve to live safely and securely," Price said.

Palestinian officials say the Abbas-Sullivan meeting was bleak

Scoop: CIA director visiting Israel, West Bank as concern over violence intensifies

Burn’s visit was pre-planned but it takes place amid the most significant escalation of tensions in the region in months.

Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director William Burns testifies before the Senate Intelligence Committee on March 10, 2022

CIA director William Burns testifies before the Senate Intelligence Committee on March 10, 2022. Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)

Scoop: Netanyahu asked for Ukraine's support at UN — and Zelensky asked for military aid

Zelensky wants "to give a chance to the relationship with Netanyahu," a Ukrainian official said.

Netanyahu and Zelensky arrive for a meeting in Jerusalem on Jan. 24, 2020. Photo:  Oded Balilty/AFP via Getty Images 

Benjamin Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Benjamin Netanyahu" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/12/29/biden-congratulates-netanyahu-return-power-israel" data-vars-content-id="501ad539-e47b-47e2-9780-ec446fb0279c" data-vars-headline="Scoop: Netanyahu asked for Ukraine&#x27;s support at UN — and Zelensky asked for military aid" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/12/29/biden-congratulates-netanyahu-return-power-israel" target="_self">Benjamin Netanyahu</a> in a phone call late Friday asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to vote against a UN General Assembly resolution that calls on the International Court of Justice to issue a legal opinion on the consequences of <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Israel&#x27;s occupation of the Palestinian territories" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/11/09/palestinians-push-un-icj-opinion-israel-occupation" data-vars-content-id="501ad539-e47b-47e2-9780-ec446fb0279c" data-vars-headline="Scoop: Netanyahu asked for Ukraine&#x27;s support at UN — and Zelensky asked for military aid" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/11/09/palestinians-push-un-icj-opinion-israel-occupation" target="_self">Israel&#x27;s occupation of the Palestinian territories</a>, Ukrainian and Israeli officials told Axios. The big picture: Ukraine had voted in favor of the resolution during a UN committee vote but did not attend Friday&#x27;s General Assembly vote &quot;in order to give a chance to the relationship with Netanyahu,&quot; the Ukrainian official said.

The Palestinian Authority on Thursday suspended its security coordination with Israel after Israeli forces killed nine Palestinians, including an elderly woman, during a raid in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin. 

Why it matters: The move is likely to escalate the situation in the West Bank even further and comes just days ahead of U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken's scheduled trip to the region, where he will meet separately with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to discuss the heightened tensions. 

What they're saying: “The security coordination is nonexistent starting from now," the Palestinian Presidency said in a statement announcing the move.

The statement said the Palestinians will go immediately to the UN Security Council and ask for UN intervention and resume their bid to join UN agencies as full members. 

The statement also said the Palestinian Authority will ask the International Criminal Court to add Thursday's incident in Jenin to its open investigation against Israel.

The Biden administration opposes the PA's decision to suspend security coordination with Israel, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near East affairs Barbara Leaf said in a briefing with reporters ahead of Blinken’s trip to the region. 

“We don’t think it is the right move right now. It is very important that both sides maintain security coordination and even deepen it. We will continue talking to the parties until the Secretary arrives in the region," Leaf said. 

Leaf added that the Biden administration has been in close contact with both Israeli and Palestinian officials since early this morning and has encouraged them to de-escalate the situation and prevent further deterioration of the security situation in the West Bank.

State Department spokesperson Ned Price stressed in a statement later Thursday the "urgent need for all parties to de-escalate, prevent further loss of civilian life, and work together to improve the security situation in the West Bank."

"We recognize the very real security challenges facing Israel and the Palestinian Authority, and condemn terrorist groups planning and carrying out attacks against civilians," he added.

"We mourn the loss of innocent lives as well as injuries to civilians, and are deeply concerned by the cycle of violence in the West Bank."

UN envoy Tor Wennesland had earlier warned Palestinian officials that suspending security coordination with Israel could have high negative consequences and urged them not to take that step, according to a Western diplomat with direct knowledge of the conversation. 

Wennesland also spoke to Israeli defense officials and passed them the message from the Palestinians and asked that Israel takes urgent steps to calm down the situation, the Western diplomat said. 

Catch up quick: Thursday's raid took place in the Jenin refugee camp, a militant stronghold where the Israeli military has intensified its raids and operations over the last year. 

The Israeli military said it carried out the raid after receiving intelligence about a group of Islamic Jihad operatives it suspected of carrying out armed attacks against Israeli soldiers. The group was planning more attacks, the Israeli military said.

At least 20 other Palestinians were injured. No injuries were reported among the Israeli special forces.

Palestinian officials called the operation a "massacre" and urged the international community to take action against Israel. 

Flashback: The Palestinian Authority suspended its security coordination with Israel in May 2020 following the formation of a Netanyahu-led government that put a plan to annex large parts of the West Bank on its platform. 

The security coordination was restored several months later after the annexation was taken off the table as a result of the Abraham Accords.

What to watch: Islamic Jihad official Khader Adnan told Al Jazeera on Thursday the group will do whatever it takes to defend the Palestinian people. Al Jazeera reported that the Islamic Jihad sent messages to Israel through mediators that it is ready and prepared for a confrontation.

Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip, also said the “response of the resistance will not be delayed."

Two rockets were fired from Gaza and intercepted by Iron Dome, the Israeli military said late Thursday. 

Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional details throughout. 

Palestinians suspend security coordination with Israel after deadly Jenin raid

Israeli forces killed nine Palestinians, including an elderly woman, during a raid in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin.

An Israeli military vehicle in Jenin, occupied West Bank on Jan. 26.

An Israeli military vehicle in Jenin, occupied West Bank on Jan. 26. Photo: Issam Rimawi/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Israeli-Palestinian conflict

The Palestinian Authority on Thursday suspended its security coordination with Israel after Israeli forces killed nine Palestinians, including an elderly woman, during a raid in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin. Why it matters: The move is likely to escalate the situation in the West Bank even further and comes just days ahead of U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken&#x27;s scheduled trip to the region, where he will meet separately with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to discuss the heightened tensions.

The White House has been working on a “road map for normalization” between Israel and Saudi Arabia ahead of President Biden’s visit to the Middle East next month, according to four U.S. sources briefed on the issue.

Why it matters: The trip could show that the Biden administration has continued to help foster progress on the warming of relations between Israel and the Arab world after the Trump administration brokered the Abraham Accords, which led to normalization agreements between Israel and four Arab countries.

Driving the news: The White House last week held a briefing with think tank experts about Biden’s trip to the region and floated the theme of a “road map for normalization” without elaborating, the four sources said.

The White House said during the briefing that there will not be an agreement before Biden's visit, but they are working on it and the president will discuss it with Israeli and Saudi leaders during the trip, the sources said.

What they're saying: The White House thinks that any road map for normalization will take time and will be a long-term process, a different source briefed on the issue said. Another source briefed on the matter described the strategy as a step-by-step approach. 

A White House National Security Council spokesperson said they "support broadening and deepening Arab-Israeli ties."

A senior Israeli official said he doesn’t expect a major breakthrough regarding normalization with Saudi Arabia during Biden’s trip, but stressed an agreement to allow Israeli airlines to use Saudi airspace for flights to India and China is very close.

“We do not view Israel as an enemy, but rather as a potential ally in the many interests that we can pursue together, but some issues must be resolved before we can reach that," Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said earlier this year, per Bloomberg, citing the official Saudi Press Agency.

Catch up quick: The Biden administration has been quietly mediating among Saudi Arabia, Israel and Egypt on a potential deal to finalize the transfer of two strategic islands in the Red Sea from Egypt to Saudi Arabia, as Axios first reported.

If successful, the mediation efforts could lead to separate normalization steps.

Between the lines: A U.S. source briefed on the White House plans said, with the roadmap, he thinks the White House is trying to lower expectations about what is possible at the moment and what isn’t and focus on starting a process.

The big picture: During Biden's visit to the Middle East, the White House also plans for the president to discuss a vision for “integrated missile defense and naval defense” among the U.S., Israel and several Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, four U.S. sources told Axios.

Israeli Minister of Defense Benny Gantz said during a hearing of the foreign relations and security committee in the Knesset on Monday that the U.S. and Israel are working on an initiative called “The Middle East Air Defense." He added that Biden’s visit will give the initiative another push.

Gantz said the initiative focuses on working together with the U.S. central command and other countries in the region to counter drone, rocket and cruise missile attacks by Iran and its proxies.

A senior Israeli official said the idea is to create a regional network of radars, sensors and air defense systems that will be connected in order to give early warning and intercept attacks.

Gantz said several Iranian attacks in the region have already been prevented. A senior Israeli official said one such attack was a downing of an Iranian drone over Iraq in February 2021 by U.S. forces using Israeli intelligence.

What to watch: The political instability in Israel and the early elections could change the calculations in Saudi Arabia and other countries in the region regarding normalization steps. 

Go deeper: U.S. negotiating deal among Saudis, Israelis and Egyptians

Scoop: U.S. working on normalization "road map" for Saudi Arabia and Israel

The White House thinks that any road map for normalization will take time and will be a long-term process, a source told Axios.

The White House has been working on a “road map for normalization” between Israel and Saudi Arabia ahead of <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="President Biden’s visit to the Middle East" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/06/14/biden-meet-saudi-crown-prince-mbs" data-vars-content-id="862a3e54-7608-471a-8754-b9db9f902546" data-vars-headline="Scoop: U.S. working on normalization &quot;road map&quot; for Saudi Arabia and Israel" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/06/14/biden-meet-saudi-crown-prince-mbs" target="_self">President Biden’s visit to the Middle East</a> next month, according to four U.S. sources briefed on the issue.Why it matters: The trip could show that the Biden administration has continued to help foster progress on the warming of relations between Israel and the Arab world after the Trump administration brokered the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Abraham Accords" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2021/12/13/how-it-happened-podcast-abraham-accords" data-vars-content-id="862a3e54-7608-471a-8754-b9db9f902546" data-vars-headline="Scoop: U.S. working on normalization &quot;road map&quot; for Saudi Arabia and Israel" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2021/12/13/how-it-happened-podcast-abraham-accords" target="_self">Abraham Accords</a>, which led to normalization agreements between Israel and four Arab countries.

President Biden has made the COVID-19 crisis and a post-Trump return to national unity and traditional democratic ideals his top priorities. From vaccinations to stimulus to schools, Biden is seeking bipartisan compromise while showing a willingness to use executive authority and bare Democratic majorities in the U.S. House and Senate to implement his policies. Republican leaders are navigating deep party divisions over if and how to move beyond former President Trump.