It was reported recently that cooperation has been renewed between Israel, France and French aircraft manufacturer Daso after a 40-year hiatus. The weapons embargo that then French President Charles de Gaulle placed on Israel in response to Israel's preemptive attack on its Arab neighbors in June 1967 was indirectly responsible for Israel's current ability to compete successfully with larger aircraft industries throughout the world. Our aircraft industries will supply France's armed forces, which are spread out around the globe, from Afghanistan to Libya, with large pilotless drones. The embargo helped Israel understand that besides its traditional suppliers of equipment, such as the U.S., it needs to develop its own research and manufacturing capabilities to reduce its dependence on others. How far we have come since then! Whoever visited the halls of the La Bourge air show on the outskirts of Paris cannot but be proud at seeing so many people visit the Israeli display. The contract for the purchase of the pilotless drones, although approved in principle by the French government, has not yet been signed. It is not only the result of technological capabilities, but also of creative diplomacy. Israel's diplomatic position in the world forces it to cooperate with third parties to market its technology-based products, and to find a way to overcome the fear of some countries of doing business with a country that is currently at war with its neighbors. That is what makes this strategic partnership with Daso so important. The Jewish Daso family (whose original name was Bloch) has a long history with Israel. Its founder, Marcel, was a friend of Israel, and I remember that my father, of blessed memory, a senior diplomat in those days, would accompany him on his visits to Israel. Not all of his descendents took the same path, which means that renewal of the connection with the Daso family is good news. The contract with Daso is without a doubt a sign of the improvement of relations between Israel and France over the past few years. I was proud to have been Israel's ambassador to France during some of the best years of our relationship. The political dialogue between Israel and France has become more significant, our trade relations have become more intense, and even Israeli culture is finding good audiences throughout France. Strangely, despite years of friction between the two countries, the security bodies of both have always remained on good terms. The Israel Defense Forces and France's armed forces have always worked together, as have the defense ministries of both countries. Among French public opinion makers, people involved in security have always been among the most supportive of Israel. Only high-level contracts between the countries have been lacking in the past few years. Let's hope that the contract for the French purchase of the Eitan pilotless drone will herald the end of that matter as well. The writer was Israel's ambassador to France from 2006 to 2010.
France is set to purchase a customized version of the large pilotless drone called Eitan, which is to be manufactured jointly by Israel Aircraft Industries and Daso. History is repeating itself in this case, but with a sort of wink this time. The first time around, it was France, via Daso, which supplied Israel's air force with its main strike capability in the first two decades of its existence. Today it's the other way around: France is purchasing the know-how from Israel.
