Iron Dome test
US: Iron Dome will work
State Dept. official says US-tested rocket shield will provide Israelis with much-needed defense
A US-backed rocket shield is on track to protect Israeli towns against rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip, a senior State Department official said Friday.
President Barack Obama has asked Congress for $205 million to accelerate development of the system, about half its total cost.
The Iron Dome system is being promoted by the Obama administration as the latest example of expanded military cooperation between the United States and Israel.
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Shapiro said the US had tested the system, intended to protect citizens residing in the Gaza vicinity from Qassams and Israel's northern citizens from rockets fired by Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The election-year message of increased US aid to Israel seems aimed at assuaging the misgivings of many Jewish voters that Obama remains committed to Israel's security, despite diplomatic tensions early this year.
"As surely as the bond between the United States and Israel is unbreakable, our commitment to Israel's qualitative military edge has never been greater," said Andrew Shapiro, an assistant secretary of State for political and military affairs.
Israel receives about $3 billion a year in US military aid, including money for training. Last fall, more than 1,000 US troops participated in a massive US-Israeli missile defense exercise code-named "Juniper Cobra."
Speaking at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy in Washington, Shapiro said, "Iron Dome fills a gap in Israel’s multi-tiered defense system. Israel has conducted thorough tests of Iron Dome components and we’ve conducted an evaluation of our own. We are confident that Iron Dome will provide improved defense for the people of Israel."
Shapiro also linked Iron Dome to the promotion of peace talks with the Palestinians. "This Administration believes that pursuing peace between Israel and the Palestinians, and Israel and its neighbors can be a mutually reinforcing process," he said.
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