Western governments are under pressure to halt arms sales to Israel because of its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Israel is a major arms exporter, but its military relies heavily on imported planes, guided bombs and missiles to carry out what experts have described as one of the most intense and destructive aerial campaigns in recent history.
Activists and some politicians in Israel’s Western allies say arms exports should be halted, saying Israel is not doing enough to protect civilian lives and ensure adequate humanitarian aid reaches the country.
Britain said on Monday it was suspending around 30 export licences for military equipment to Israel for use in military operations in Gaza, following an investigation into Israel’s compliance with international humanitarian law.
Although UK arms exports to Israel are relatively small compared with Israel’s total exports, the Israeli prime minister condemned the UK decision as “shameful”.
The war was triggered by Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7 that left some 1,200 people dead and 251 taken hostage. More than 40,000 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Strip Health Ministry.
Israel insists its forces are operating to avoid civilian casualties, accuses Hamas of deliberately targeting civilians in attacks, and insists there are no limits on aid deliveries.
united states of america
The United States is by far Israel’s largest arms supplier and has helped build one of the world’s most technologically sophisticated militaries.
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), 69% of Israel’s major conventional arms imports between 2019 and 2023 came from the United States.
The US provides Israel with $3.8bn (£2.9bn) in military aid per year under a 10-year agreement that is intended to allow its ally to maintain a “qualitative military advantage” over its neighbours.
Part of the aid – $500 million a year – will go towards a missile defense program that includes the jointly developed Iron Dome, Arrow and David Sling systems that Israel has relied on during the war to protect itself from rocket, missile and drone attacks by Palestinian militias in the Gaza Strip and Iranian-backed militias based in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen.
Days after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, President Joe Biden said the U.S. was “stepping up additional military support” to Israel.
SIPRI said the United States rapidly delivered thousands of guided bombs and missiles to Israel at the end of 2023, but that total Israeli arms imports from the United States for that year were roughly the same as in 2022.
Last December, the Biden administration used emergency powers to circumvent congressional action and announced two emergency sales to Israel: one for 14,000 tank rounds worth $106 million and another for components to manufacture 155mm artillery shells worth $147 million.
U.S. media reported in March that the administration had quietly made more than 100 military sales to Israel since the start of the war, most for amounts below the amount that would have required formal notification to Congress. The sales reportedly included thousands of precision-guided munitions, small-caliber bombs, bunker busters and small arms.
In May, the United States suspended arms shipments to Israel for the first time as Biden’s Democrats and allies grew concerned about Israel’s plans for a ground attack on the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
U.S. officials announced they were suspending the deployment of 1,800 2,000-pound (907 kg) and 1,700 500-pound bombs due to concerns that they could kill civilians if used in populated areas. In July, U.S. officials said they would approve the deployment of the 500-pound bombs, but would continue to suspend the deployment of the 2,000-pound bombs due to ongoing concerns about civilian casualties.
And last month, the Biden administration notified Congress that it had approved $20 billion in arms sales to Israel, including an $18.8 billion package that includes upgrade kits for up to 50 F-15IA jets and 25 F-15I aircraft already in Israel’s fleet, an unspecified number of eight-ton cargo trucks worth $583 million, 30 medium-range air-to-air missiles worth $102 million, and 50,000 120mm mortar shells worth $61 million. But the weapons aren’t expected to arrive in Israel until 2026 at the earliest.
Germany
According to SIPRI, Germany is the second-largest arms exporter to Israel, accounting for 30 percent of imports between 2019 and 2023.
Israel is set to sign a €3 billion ($3.3 billion, £2.5 billion) contract with Germany in 2022 to buy three advanced Dakar-class diesel submarines, with deliveries due to begin after 2031. They will replace the German-made Dolphin-class submarines currently operated by the Israeli Navy.
European countries sold 326.5 million euros ($361 million, £274 million) to Israel last year, a ten-fold increase compared to 2022. The majority of these export licences were granted after the October 7 attacks.
The German government said in January that the sale would consist of military equipment worth 306.4 million euros and “weapons of war” worth 20.1 million euros.
The latter included 3,000 rounds of portable anti-tank weapons and 500,000 rounds of ammunition for automatic and semi-automatic small arms, according to the DPA news agency, while the majority of export licenses were granted for development, assembly, maintenance and repair technology for land vehicles and weapons.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz has strongly supported Israel’s right to self-defense throughout the war, but his stance on Israel’s actions in Gaza has changed in recent weeks, sparking debate in Germany but there seems to be no threat of arms sales being halted.
Italy
England
In December 2023, the British government said British military exports to Israel would be “relatively small,” amounting to 42 million pounds ($55 million) in 2022.
That figure will fall to £18.2 million in 2023, according to UK Ministry of Commerce records.
Between Oct. 7, 2023 and May 31, 2024, 42 licenses for the export of military goods were issued, with 345 licenses still outstanding. The Ministry of Commerce and Trade said the military equipment covered by the licenses includes parts for military aircraft, military vehicles and naval combat vessels.
According to CAAT, the UK has granted arms export licences to Israel worth a total of £576 million since 2008, much of it for parts used in US-made military aircraft going to Israel.
In September 2024, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy announced the immediate suspension of around 30 export licences for items used in Israeli military operations in Gaza.
He said he had received an assessment concluding there was a “clear risk” that certain military exports “could be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of international humanitarian law.”
“The UK continues to support Israel’s right to self-defence in accordance with international law,” he stressed.
The licenses include parts for military aircraft such as fighter jets, helicopters and drones, as well as items to facilitate ground attacks.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounced the British decision as “shameful” and “misjudged”. He warned that an arms embargo would embolden Hamas and insisted Israel was fighting a just war with just means.
Israeli Defense Industry
Israel has also built up its own defense industry with U.S. help and is now the world’s ninth-largest arms exporter, but it focuses on advanced technology products rather than large-scale hardware.
According to SIPRI, China will account for a 2.3% share of global sales between 2019 and 2023, with India (37%), the Philippines (12%) and the United States (8.7%) being the main recipients.
According to the Israeli Ministry of Defense, Israel’s defense exports are expected to exceed $13 billion in 2023.
Air defense systems accounted for 36% of these exports, followed by radar and electronic warfare systems (11%), firing and launching devices (11%), and drones and avionics (9%).
Just before the war began, in September 2023, Germany signed a $3.5 billion deal with Israel to buy the advanced Arrow 3 missile defense system to intercept long-range ballistic missiles. It was Israel’s largest defense contract ever and was subject to approval by the United States, which co-developed the system.
US military reserves in Israel
Israel is also home to a vast U.S. military arsenal established in 1984 to pre-stock U.S. forces with supplies in the event of a regional conflict and to give Israel rapid access to weapons in the event of an emergency.
In response to the Russian aggression, the Pentagon shipped about 300,000 155mm shells from Israel’s wartime reserve munitions depot to Ukraine.
The ammunition stockpiled in the warehouse has reportedly been supplied to Israel since the start of the Gaza war.