Despite a call from 111 countries for a ban on cluster bombs, four nations skipped the talks. Major manufacturers of cluster munitions, the United States, Israel, Russia and India, let their absence do the talking. Israel chose not to attend since "it has to deal with well-known security threats and is opposed to a comprehensive ban on cluster bombs." It also sells weapons and defense products, $10 billion worth over the last two years according to the chief of export sales at the Defense Ministry. Who'd have thought jobs and money would rank higher than lives?
