Netanyahu and visiting Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte did not sign a bilateral agreement to deepen cooperation between the countries’ police forces, after objections from the Justice Ministry, Hadashot news reports.
The Justice Ministry was reportedly wary of entering into an agreement with Manila due to Duterte’s violent crackdown on drugs, which has been forcefully denounced by human rights groups. The ministry kept deleting clauses from the proposed cooperation agreement “until it became clear” that there was “nothing really left to sign,” the report says.
Though it is not officially listed on his schedule, Duterte’s trip to Israel was expected to focus on exploring possible arms deals. He has said in the past that he sees Israel as an alternative supplier of weapons after the US and other countries refused to sell him arms over human rights violations.
Yesterday, Duterte told President Reuven Rivlin that he intends to exclusively buy military equipment from Israel due to the country’s lack of restrictions.
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