Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided not to cancel an agreement under which Elbit Systems is to supply upgraded Mig-21 aircraft to the Ethiopian air force. This is despite official protests from Eritrea, which is at war with Ethiopia.

Eritrea lodged a protest with Israel’s ambassador to the UN Dore Gold, and the protest was transmitted to Netanyahu, who also serves as Israel’s Foreign Minister. Eritrea claimed that Israel is intervening in a dispute to which it is not party, taking place in a war zone. Netanyahu’s press secretary Aviv Bushinsky today confirmed that the prime minister has decided not to cancel the deal.

The argument behind Netanyahu’s decision was that provision of the ten airplanes is not scheduled to begin for a long time, and not at the height of the conflict between the two countries. "The first airplane is scheduled for delivery within one year," according to the Prime Minister’s Office. "We hope that by then the situation will calm down. Israel’s policy is not to sell arms to areas of conflict."

Ethiopia operates 70 Russian-manufacture Mig-21 airplanes, and has encountered difficulty in maintaining them since the revolution and severance of ties with Russia.

JERUSALEM (September 8) - Despite pleas from Eritrea, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has decided to allow Elbit Systems to supply upgraded MiG-21 fighter jets to the Ethiopian air force.

The deal had been in limbo since Eritrea protested to Israel, asking that it not allow the war planes to be sold to Ethiopia since the two countries were at war.

Ethiopia had been urgently seeking fighter jets and Elbit offered to sell it 10 MiG-21s which already had been upgraded for the Romanian air force. But the deal needed to be approved by the government.

Netanyahu's spokesman Aviv Bushinsky confirmed yesterday that the prime minister has decided not to block the deal. He said that the deal would not be implemented immediately and that conflict between the two east African states would likely ebb before the jets were delivered.

"The first airplane is scheduled for delivery within one year," according to a statement Bushinsky issued. "We hope that by then the situation will calm down. Israel's official policy is not to sell arms to areas of conflict."

Elbit is currently upgrading 100 Romanian MiG-21 jets in a joint venture established with Romania's Aerostar. The 10 jets sold to Ethiopia will be in return for 10 Ethiopian air force MiG-21s which will be upgraded and replace the Romanian jets.

Ethiopia currently has about 70 Soviet-made MiG-21 fighters, but they are in questionable shape since Ethiopia has not been able to maintain them properly since breaking off ties with Russia.