The Philippines has been calling for international solidarity against an increasingly assertive China in the West Philippine Sea but Israel, one of its top defense partners, has yet to respond categorically to its appeal, according to senior Filipino diplomats and security officials.

Israel’s neutral stance is affecting both current and prospective defense cooperation between the two countries, the Filipino officials told CoverStory. They requested not to be named, saying they are not authorized to discuss the issue publicly.

“As a partner, a statement of support is something expected from them because they benefit from us,” one official said, hinting that Israel’s unwillingness to take a stand could affect potential major defense deals.

China has frequently harassed Philippine Navy and Coast Guard ships as well as fishermen in the West Philippine Sea, employing dangerous maneuvers, water cannon blasts, and close-quarter encounters that lead to collisions, and escalating tensions.

It continues to ignore Manila’s arbitral victory in 2016 that upholds the Philippines’ sovereign rights over its 200-mile exclusive economic zone.

The Philippines has been rallying support for the arbitral ruling from beyond its traditional allies in a broader effort to uphold international maritime norms.

Israel is among the Philippines’ top defense suppliers, providing equipment ranging from radars, unmanned aerial vehicles and surveillance aircraft to patrol boats. Manila’s 10-year military modernization plan is partly driven by its defense in the West Philippine Sea.
Israel is also a key ally of the United States, which supports the Philippines in the South China Sea. China claims the South China Sea almost in its entirety.

Sagi Karni, head of the Bureau of Southeast Asia and Asia Pacific at Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), acknowledged the tensions in the West Philippine Sea, saying that they were “following the developments closely.”

“We do hope, since we face a lot of challenges—I don’t want to make any comparisons—we do hope conflict will be resolved in a peaceful manner,” Kami told journalists at the MFA headquarters in Jerusalem earlier this month. The journalists were on a press tour hosted by Israel’s embassy in Manila.

When asked about the current defense cooperation between the two countries, he declined to comment, saying: “This is not something we discuss in the open.”

Israeli officials “were shown videos of the June 17 incident,” one of the Filipino officials said. “If they’re really a friend of the Philippines, they should say something,” he said, referring to an incident last year in which the China Coast Guard rammed a Philippine vessel on a supply mission to Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal, resulting in injuries to Philippine Navy personnel including the severance of one’s thumb.

Some Israeli defense firms have expressed frustration with their government’s stance, fearing it could cost them deals, according to multiple news reports in Israel early this year. These companies have also expressed concern over Tel Aviv’s order to prioritize military equipment shipments to the Israeli Defense Force for its war in Gaza, affecting the delivery timelines to overseas customers including the Philippines.

Israel’s military capability has been amply demonstrated in its continuing offensive in Gaza, which has so far killed over 62,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry. The United Nations has deemed the figure credible.

The Philippines is a signatory to the UN resolution calling for an end to Israel’s “unlawful presence” in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

Geopolitical analyst Julio Amador III told CoverStory that “if a country like Israel is incapable of lending political support for the Philippines on the South China Sea issue in exchange for access to the [Philippine military’s] procurement needs, then it understands why its systems and weapons may not be palatable to the buyer.”

“Defense procurement is not a pure market as the choice of weapons and systems is imbued with political interests. This is the reason why there is heavy regulation, and sometimes legislative authorization is required prior to sale,” Amador said.

He added: “The defense market can be quite different in that countries buying or selling understand that political considerations are also paramount.”