JERUSALEM, May 15 (Xinhuanet) -- The Israel Air Force (IAF) is dispatching fighter jets to Canada to participate in a military exercise later this month, a move that has drawn criticism from Palestinians, the Jerusalem Post reported Sunday.

    The air force confirmed that it had accepted a Canadian invitation to join the annual Maple Flag war games, the first time for Israel, and was sending F-16 warplanes there, the paper said.

    The move came in line with the IAF's decision to participate in more international air exercises.

    The IAF has trained with Italian, Romanian, German, Polish and Turkish air forces. It has also said it will hold a joint exercise with India, but no date has been set.

    But Palestinian-Canadian groups expressed disappointment that Israel was invited for the exercise.

    "We don't support this Canadian initiative," said Issam Alyamani of Palestine House, an educational and cultural center based in Toronto, Canada.

    "I think that Canada should be more sensitive to the Arab-Palestinian community in Canada," he added."The Israeli Air Force was used to destroy Palestinian houses and it was used against civilians in the Gaza Strip and West Bank. I don't think this will help Canada to have a balanced position vis-a-vis the Arab-Israeli conflict," he said.

    Reports from Canada said the IAF is sending 10 F-16 warplanes and about 150 air crew to the exercise.

    The exercise, which stretches over three two-week periods through May and June, will bring together about 5,000 air personnel from NATO and 11 countries -- Canada, Belgium, Germany, France, Britain, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, Sweden, the United States and Israel.

    During the exercise, groups of planes will attack targets scattered across the air range -- a third of the size of Israelitself, with US pilots acting as defenders.

    A number of Arab countries have been invited, but none is sending active aircraft. Qatar and the United Arab Emirates aresending observers. Enditem