EXPLANER
As civilian casualties continue to rise in Gaza, global calls for countries to stop arms sales to Israel are growing.
The US Senate this week approved a bill committing $14 billion to support Israel’s war on Gaza.
Even before the war began last October, the United States strongly supported Israel by providing military equipment, contributing $3 billion a year in military aid. Many other countries provide military support to Israel through arms sales.
Civilian casualties continue to rise in Gaza – currently numbering more than 28,000 dead and thousands more trapped under rubble and presumed dead in just four months of bombings and ground invasions. The rising death toll is drawing international condemnation from humanitarian groups and civil society in the form of statements, protests and lawsuits against countries accused of providing military support to Israel. Some countries are reacting to this pressure.
On Monday, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell commented on US President Joe Biden’s description of Israel’s response to the October 7 Hamas attacks as “exaggerated.” “Well, if you think too many people are being killed, maybe you should provide fewer guns in order to prevent so many people from being killed,” Borrell told reporters.
So which countries continue to send weapons to Israel and which are taking steps to suspend their supplies?
Who supplies weapons to Israel?
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute’s arms transfer database, 68% of Israel’s arms imports between 2013 and 2022 came from the United States.
The US military also stores weapons on the ground in Israel, presumably for use by the US military itself. However, the United States allowed Israel to use some of these supplies during the Gaza war.
Besides the United States, Israel also receives military imports from other countries.
- Weapons imported from Germany represent 28 percent of Israel’s military imports. German military exports increased almost tenfold in 2023 compared to 2022 after sales to Israel increased in November, according to figures from the German Economy Ministry. Germany mainly supplies Israel with components for air defense systems and communications equipment, according to German news agency dpa.
- The United Kingdom has authorized at least 474 million pounds ($594 million) in military exports to Israel since 2015, Human Rights Watch reported in December 2023. These exports included aircraft, missiles, tanks, technology and munitions , including components of the F-35 stealth bomber used. in Gaza.
- In Canada, Dozens of civil society groups recently urged Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to end arms exports to Israel. The government says it does not send complete weapons systems to Israel, but these civil society groups say it downplays the amount of military support it provides. “Canadian companies have exported more than $84 million (C$114 million) worth of military goods to Israel since 2015,” said Michael Bueckert, vice-president of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East. an advocacy group, adding that the government has continued to approve arms exports since the start of the war.
- Australia The foreign minister said the country had not supplied weapons to Israel since the start of the war. However, Australian Greens defense spokesperson David Shoebridge called on the government to be more transparent about exactly what items were exported to Israel, adding that the country has one of the world’s largest export systems. the most secret weapons in the world. Amnesty International has also called on Australia to end its arms sales to Israel and says the country has approved 322 defense exports to Israel over the past six years.
- In France, a pro-Palestinian demonstration on February 7 called on French companies, including Dassault Aviation, to stop selling weapons to Israel. The protesters declared, according to the Anadolu news agency, that “all French companies that sell weapons to the Tel Aviv administration are complicit in the Israeli genocide in Gaza.”
Which countries are stopping arms deliveries to Israel?
- In the The Netherlands, A court on Monday gave the government one week to block all exports of spare parts for the F-35 fighter jet, which Israel uses to bomb the Gaza Strip. The decision follows a lawsuit filed against the government by Dutch humanitarian organizations Oxfam Novib, the PAX Nederland Peace Movement Foundation and the Rights Forum. The concerns expressed in this trial intersect with the issues the International Court of Justice (ICJ) is considering in South Africa’s apartheid case against Israel. “It is undeniable that there is a clear risk that exported F-35 parts could be used in serious violations of international humanitarian law,” the court ruling said.
- In Belgium, A regional government said it suspended two licenses for the export of gunpowder to Israel on February 6. The regional government was reported to have cited the ICJ’s interim ruling that Israel could “plausibly” commit genocide in Gaza.
- Japanese The Itochu Corporation announced on February 5 that it would end its partnership with Israeli arms manufacturer Elbit Systems by the end of February. Tsuyoshi Hachimura, Itochu’s chief financial officer, told a news conference that the suspension of the memorandum of understanding with Elbit Systems was based on a request from the Japanese Defense Ministry and “had no relation to the conflict current situation between Israel and Palestine. . However, he added: “In view of the order of the International Court of Justice on January 26 and the fact that the Japanese government supports the role of the Court, we have already suspended further activities related to the Memorandum of Understanding and plan to end it by the end of February. »
- Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani declared on January 20 that Italy had suspended all shipments of weapons systems or military equipment to Israel since the outbreak of war on October 7. The move was in response to calls from Democratic Party leader Elly Schlein for the government to suspend arms supplies to Israel.
- Spain The foreign minister said in January that the country had not sold any weapons to Israel since the start of the war and that there was now an embargo on arms sales. However, on Monday, Spanish daily El Diario published a report showing that Spain had exported munitions worth around $1.1 million to Israel in November. The Spanish Secretary of State for Commerce justified the sale of these munitions by telling El Diario that “the material was intended for tests or demonstrations” and “corresponds to licenses granted before October 7.”
What role did the ICJ decision play in stopping arms sales?
In its January 26 interim ruling on the South African genocide case against Israel, the ICJ declared that Israel is “plausibly” committing genocide in Gaza and ordered it to take “all measures within its power.” to prevent acts that could constitute genocide against the Palestinians. in Gaza. This has prompted humanitarian organizations around the world to pressure their governments to end arms sales and military aid.
The decision “goes beyond Israel,” said Raed Jarrar, advocacy director of the Washington-based think tank Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN). The interim decision highlights countries’ legal and political obligations to prevent genocide. Defenders say arms sales and military aid could be seen as amounting to complicity in genocide and a violation of international law.
