Israel intercepts shipment from China to Gaza

WORLD TRIBUNE.COM

TEL AVIV — Israeli customs authorities found night-vision systems and other dual-use equipment in a container sent from China and bound for the Gaza Strip.

The shipment arrived to the Israeli port of Ashdod, where the military equipment was identified Tuesday by a scanner system.

Officials said Israeli customs authorities have been on alert for attempts to ship combat and dual-use equipment to the Palestinian Authority, Middle East Newsline reported.

Officials said the Palestinian importer claimed that the Chinese shipment contained hats and clocks. Instead, they said, customs officers found 300 telescopes, including those with infrared sights meant for assault weapons.

"We are speaking of a quantity that could upgrade the fighting ability of an entire brigade in the PA security forces," an official was quoted by the Israeli news website Ynet as saying. "A telescope of this kind, fitted on an M-16 rifle, for example, improves the lethality of the weapon."

Officials said several allies of the PA have sought to export this equipment under the guise of civilian goods to Palestinian security forces.

Israel has banned the shipment of military equipment to PA security forces amid their refusal to disarm insurgency groups. China and Russia have sought to sell weapons and platforms to the PA, but Moscow suspended the plans amid Israeli and U.S. pressure.