China has asked the Israeli Defense Ministry to explain a contract allowing Taiwan to receive pictures from a private company, ImageSat International, Haaretz newspaper reported on Wednesday.
The company transmits its images using a satellite developed from the Israeli spy satellite, Ofek 3, the paper said.
The paper cited the ministry as saying that the satellite broadcast pictures at a civilian resolution picked up all over the world.
The ministry permits the company to broadcast the pictures to any country it chooses, with the exception of those in a state of war with Israel.
According to the paper, this restriction has been lifted from “Saudi Arabia, Sudan and the Gulf states,” although ImageSat has yet to sign any agreements with these states.
ImageSat, based in Tel Aviv, did offer its services to China, but the Chinese government picked the Lockheed-Martin owned Iconos satellite, the paper said.
The president of the Israeli company, Moshe Bar-Lev, declined to confirm or deny the report when contacted by the paper, pleading trade secrecy.
The sale of the satellite photographs to Taiwan is problematic because of the long-standing tensions between Taiwan and China – Albawaba.com
