Israel Approves National Plan for Essential Minerals

The Israeli government has unanimously approved recommendations to formulate a national plan for essential minerals, the Foreign Ministry announced Wednesday. The plan, developed by an inter-ministerial team led by Foreign Ministry Director General Eden Bar Tal, aims to secure the supply of critical minerals for the economy and defense system, and to build Israeli expertise in the field through international partnerships and innovation. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar initiated this move following his participation in a Washington conference on the topic. The ministry stated that Sa'ar is already promoting the issue with several countries, including Kazakhstan, whose prime minister met with him regarding the matter. However, Israel may be entering this field somewhat late. The proposal was first brought before the government in April but was apparently updated after the Washington conference. Details of the updated plan, including its main outlines or budget, have not yet been published, making it unclear what its potential impact on Israel's capabilities will be. The inter-ministerial team included representatives from numerous government ministries and national bodies, including the Prime Minister's Office, Finance, Defense, Economy, Energy, Environmental Protection, Innovation, Science and Technology, the National Security Council, and the Israel Geological Institute.

Critical minerals, including rare earth minerals, are vital for advanced technologies like semiconductors and batteries. While not always rare in nature, their supply chains, often involving specialized extraction and processing, can make them practically scarce. Global supply chains for these minerals are currently dominated by a few entities, notably China, which controls a significant portion of rare earth mineral extraction and processing capacity. This dominance has raised concerns among Western decision-makers, particularly in the United States.

An example of the leverage gained through control of these supply chains was in October 2025, when China imposed export restrictions on rare earth minerals. This prompted significant concern in the U.S., which responded with heavy retaliatory tariffs. While these tariffs were eventually removed as part of a framework agreement between then-U.S. President Donald Trump and Xi Jinping in November 2025, the incident highlighted the potential of rare earth minerals as an economic and industrial weapon. Since then, Trump has intensified his focus on diversifying U.S. sources for these minerals, with some analysts linking his international political maneuvers, including his involvement in the Congo conflict, to his desire to secure independent rare earth mineral supply and processing for the U.S. This interpretation, offered by U.S. political history researcher Dr. Kobi Barada, suggests that the ceasefire agreement in the Congo in December 2025 reflected Trump's aim to develop mining in the region, which is believed to hold substantial rare earth mineral deposits.