Israel and Latin America: The Military Connection

Tucked away in an article on Israeli-Latin American relations written by a former Israeli ambassador to Bolivia and Peru is the passing remark that “a considerable percentage of Israeli defense industry exports go to Latin America” and that “for obvious reasons very little has been published about this subject.”¹ It is true that, aside from fragmentary coverage in press reports, the military dimensions of these relations and, in particular, weapons transfers have not received the attention they deserve. Indeed, the only book devoted to Israeli-Latin American relations treats the military aspect of these relationships more or less on a par with diplomatic, economic, and even cultural ties.² Therefore, this study seeks to remedy the gap with a more sustained treatment of the subject, not only for its intrinsic interest—Israeli-Latin American relations now being dominated by the military component—but also because Latin America provides a good starting point for shedding light on the Israeli arms industry and export policies, and their implications and consequences both for Israel and the areas in which it operates.

During the last decade Latin America was undisputedly Israel’s largest market for arms, accounting for approximately 50 to 60 percent of its total military exports.¹ According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), one-third of Israel’s total arms sales of $1.2 billion in 1980 went to Argentina and El Salvador alone.² Recently, Israeli arms to Asia and Africa have increased, partly as a by-product of Israel’s success in regaining some of its old friends, particularly in Africa. Nevertheless, Latin America continues to be a primary market,* accounting for one-third to one-half of Israel’s total arms sales.³ It is no coincidence that Israeli military sales literature continues to come out in two languages, English and Spanish.⁴

Ecuador is one of Israel’s oldest friends in Latin America. In 1963 Ecuador and Bolivia were the first Latin American countries to adopt Israel’s Nahal-type military-agricultural programs, which introduced the use of armed forces for agricultural tasks. The program was intended to provide a model for civic action and a way of tackling national problems. More importantly, since the military had recently ousted the constitutional government, the program’s aim of building a positive and constructive image of the armed forces was particularly relevant.¹ Seven years after the program was inaugurated, an Ecuadoran military publication wrote of the Nahal program:

The State of Israel, through the Units of Nahal, shows us a new road in military organization and philosophy. It is showing us that the armed forces can widen the scope of their activities, for the benefit of the rural population, with a humanitarian mission … and even more, it has demonstrated to us that the soldier-farmer is the one who defends his farm with greater eagerness and heroism, and while defending his land, his family, he is defending his fatherland.²