Israel is being forced to choose between America and China

THE ADVISORY Committee to Inspect National Security Aspects of Foreign Investments is the dull title for one of the more secret and sensitive bodies in the Israeli government. Its membership is unknown and meetings are held under a blanket of opacity. It is essentially a committee to assess deals with China. It was set up in 2020 after pressure from America, which was concerned that China could be getting Israeli weapons technology. The committee’s chilling effect on trade and ties with China is already being felt.Although there is no official policy or written directive banning Chinese investments in key areas of the economy, there has been a marked slowdown in new deals. “The Americans made it clear to us that they would not accept any Chinese involvement in critical infrastructure and Israel belatedly got the message,” says a former Israeli minister in the government that left office on June 13th.