Israel’s Position Paper on the Latin American Arms Trade Treaty

Israel is a nation always on the brink of armed conflict. Israel’s neighboring nations have demonstrated no lack of animosity toward Israel. Israel exists in a state of constant vigilance and preparedness. As a people of the jewish faith, peace is of tantamount importance, but years of struggle and conflict has hardened Israel and its people to the harsh realism of a world that wants to destroy it. Israel has been forced to adopt a posture of defiant strength. With that posture comes an industry of arms production as well as their import and export.

Israel’s position on the topic of arms in Venezuela is simple and straightforward. As a sovereign nation it is of paramount necessity that Venezuela be able to defend itself from all threats both internationally and internally. Arms are essential to that goal. It is of further import that the nation be free of the machinations of other nations that may wish to use Venezuela as a proxy to engage in conflict without the weight of direct commitment of resources. As such, Israel supports the Venezuela’s right to arm itself and to prepare for the contingent possibility of war.

However, Israel also seeks peace, and as such recognizes that history teaches the path to peace is through not armed conflict but through negotiation and cooperation. While Venezuela must have the ability and means to defend itself, the Latin American and South American traditions of minimal arms and forces cannot and should not be ignored.

There is a great value to be found in a society that has already committed to a course of non-proliferation and a modicum of disarmament. As such, Israel would urge a course which focuses on a qualitative degree of armament, as opposed to a quantitative one. In this Israel would strive that the arms be acquired through legitimate means, and that the scope and depth of Venezuela’s forces and materials be readily known so as to act a a first deterrent to war.

Venezuela, in turn must commit to a course of action that would serve to responsibly deal with illegitimate forces in their country and the graft and corruption that has been prevalent in nations struggling with the influences of the drug cartels. Israel has grave concerns at the notion that government assets, military equipment and personnel, may find their way into the hands of such criminal organizations. As such, Israel would support a course of action that assists in the decommissioning of equipment at such a time as it becomes necessary, as well as providing training and resources for inventory management.