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  • Malkhodr @lemmygrad.ml
    19·
    1 month ago

    ❗️Finnish defense chief admits Helsinki bound to Israel military ties ‘whether we like it or not’

    ​Finland must maintain long-term defense cooperation with Israel despite mounting European sanctions and widespread outrage over human rights violations in Gaza, Defense Minister Antti Hakkanen stated in a Defense Ministry release.

    Pushing back against growing calls across the continent to sever military trade with Tel Aviv, Hakkanen declared that recently acquired Israeli hardware—including the David’s Sling air defense system, Gabriel 5 missiles, and Spike anti-tank missiles—remains central to Helsinki’s core national security apparatus.

    ​The Finnish defence minister noted that procurement of these high-tech armaments locks Helsinki into decades-long maintenance dependencies for spare parts, critical software updates, training, and ongoing technical support from Israeli contractors.

    “This fact binds us to cooperation with Israel, whether we like it or not,” Hakkanen acknowledged, highlighting that Israel was designated alongside the US and South Korea as a primary strategic defense partner in Finland’s 2024 Defence Report, with opposition limited strictly to the Left Alliance in parliament.

    ​Hakkanen’s public defense of Tel Aviv comes amid sharp European divergence over Israeli defense procurement, with human rights groups warning that continued arms flows risk complicity in international law violations.

    While European nations like Spain restrict weapons trade and Italy has halted automatic military pact renewals, Helsinki remains firmly anchored to its Israeli defence pipeline.

    https://t.me/thecradlemedia/68563