Israel was taken aback by claims made Wednesday by U.S. President Donald Trump against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding credit for the short-range rocket interception air defense system known as Iron Dome. Trump said it was “American technology,” but in factual terms the development and production of the interception system were carried out by the Israeli government-owned company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.
In a lengthy speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, the U.S. president referred to a future air defense system dubbed “Golden Dome,” which would include interceptors deployed in space. He then also mentioned U.S. assistance to Israel in the development of the Iron Dome system.
In his remarks, Trump added a public jab at Netanyahu: “What we did for Israel was incredible, but it will be nothing compared to what we are planning for the United States, Canada and the rest of the world. We are building a dome like never before. We did it, we did it for Israel. I told Bibi, ‘Bibi, stop taking credit for the dome. This is our technology. It’s ours.’”
Factually, Trump was wrong, but for now no official in Israel intends to embarrass him. Development of the Iron Dome system was carried out exclusively by Rafael, while the procurement of interceptors was funded in part with U.S. assistance. It is possible the U.S. president confused American funding for interceptor production with the technology itself, which is entirely Israeli.
It is also possible that Trump’s incorrect statement is linked to Israel’s desire to integrate into the Golden Dome system the Americans are developing and formulating for intercepting ballistic missiles from space. This is an ambitious U.S.-initiated program, and the American president may not have liked what he perceived as an Israeli attempt to take credit for developing that “dome,” without distinguishing between Iron Dome and Golden Dome.
The United States had sought to influence Israel to choose the American company Nautilus for the development of Iron Dome, but officials in Jerusalem at the time believed the move was premature. Ultimately, the system was developed by a group of Israeli engineers, some of whom have since retired. They supported the project even before a factory for producing interceptors was established, while the Americans helped finance procurement through U.S. aid funds.
As for the U.S. role in the development of Israel’s multilayered missile defense systems, the Arrow system is a joint project of Israel Aerospace Industries and U.S.-based Boeing. David’s Sling is a joint system developed by Rafael and the American defense company Raytheon. These are two Israeli-American systems operated under the Israel Missile Defense Organization within the Defense Ministry. Raytheon is also expected to be a partner in future procurement of part of Iron Dome interceptor production.
Netanyahu has on several occasions credited the development of Iron Dome to Israeli technology. During a Cabinet meeting in April 2011, he said: “In the field of defense, Israel has recorded a significant and impressive achievement, as the Iron Dome system intercepted rockets. This echoed around the entire world, including in European countries I visited.” That same day, during a visit to an Iron Dome battery in the southern city of Ashkelon, Netanyahu said: “This is a major achievement, the result of the people who operate it. Israel has broken new ground. I was in a meeting with the prime minister of the Czech Republic when the military secretary came in and excitedly informed me of the launch. But we will not be able to defend every home, every facility and every site in the country.”
In February 2019, after the U.S. Army informed Israel’s Defense Ministry of its decision to purchase the Iron Dome system for the U.S. Army, Netanyahu said: “A great achievement for Israel. This is another expression of the strengthening of our solid alliance with the United States and of Israel’s rising status in the world. Israel has an Iron Dome and an iron fist. Our systems know how to deal with any threat, both defensively and offensively. I would not recommend that our enemies test us.”
Against the backdrop of Trump’s remarks Wednesday, it should be noted that the American president had already harbored resentment toward Netanyahu over what he claimed was Netanyahu’s taking credit for securing Pfizer coronavirus vaccines. Trump was angered that Netanyahu took credit for bringing the vaccines to Israel, and on several occasions said: I was the one who approved Pfizer sending the vaccines to Israel, despite receiving requests from leaders all over the world.
“He doesn’t give me credit,” Trump was heard saying in a conversation with Israeli businesspeople who visited his Florida resort after his first term as U.S. president. Trump went further in that conversation, even mimicking Netanyahu. The businesspeople were left with the impression that Trump was genuinely angry at the prime minister.
At the time, Trump also accused Netanyahu of being the first leader in the world to congratulate Joe Biden on his 2020 election victory — a claim that was factually untrue. Netanyahu was in fact among the last to congratulate Biden and faced considerable criticism for that delay.