Arizona’s Aerospace and Defense Sector is Financially Linked to Israeli Security

Amid recent Middle Eastern bloodshed, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey tweeted, “Arizona stands with Israel,” joining Republican leaders around the country in a display of political solidarity.

It also sparked fury among Palestinian supporters, with one activist labeling Ducey’s stance a “violation of human rights.”Although the aerospace and defense sector in Arizona is split in its perspective, it not only “stays with” Israel but also has technology produced over the nation.

Raytheon Missiles & Defense created a missile defense system attributed to intercepting thousands of missiles that Hamas and other organizations have fired since the first deployment in 2011, in cooperation with Rafael Advanced Defense System Israel.According to his spokesman, Raytheon employs 15,000 Arizonians, and Israeli partner Rafael created a joint venture last year to develop a U.S. version of the Iron Dome.He added that the U.S. military assistance to Israeli is largely in the form of government contracts when it provides for Israel.

Raytheon and Rafael “join in close collaboration with the Israeli government for the provision of military applications, but the Iron Dome in particular,” Bolle said to the media. Midair interception technology was introduced “from Rafael and Arizona, and the two nations have a great deal of military cooperation.”The Iron Dome is a short-range, 2.5 to 43 kilometers intercept system and has been used throughout the current war. There is still a fragile cessation of fire, but Israel started airstrikes over the Gaza Strip at the end of last week in the Associated Press.