A prominent political analyst says NATO and the US are arming “Israel with missile capacities in relation to a projected and planned attack upon Iran.”
Italy says it wants to finalize a one billion dollar deal with Israel to buy thirty M-346 training jets from the Italian-based aerospace and defense group Finmeccanica's Alenia Aermacchi unit.

Italian Premier Mario Monti said the deal would result in a "leap of quality" in industrial relations between Italy and Israel.

Press TV has conducted an interview with Ralph Schoenman, political commentator, to further discuss the issue. The following is a rough transcription of the interview.

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Press TV: Give us your thoughts on this deal and the reasoning and motives behind it.

Schoenman: Well, I want to remind you that the Italian minister of defense was in Tel Aviv in Jerusalem meeting with Netanyahu at the time of Israel’s attacks upon Gaza.