Many countries halt weapon export to Israel due to the risk of “human rights violations”

On Thursday, the United States stopped a shipment of weapons to Israel, including 900-kilogram bunker-busting bombs used by Israeli forces in their invasion and genocide of Gaza.

The American move came against the backdrop of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to continue the military aggression against civilians in the city of Rafah in Gaza, despite Washington’s objections.

The United States is by far the largest arms supplier to Israel, which is committing genocide of civilians including children and women in the Gaza Strip in an excuse the movement’s attack on Israel on October 7.

Here are some details about arms suppliers to Israel:

United State

The pending arms shipment to Israel consists of 1,800 bombs weighing about 900 kilograms and 1,700 bombs weighing 225 kilograms, according to US officials.

A US official who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, that Washington was focusing on “end-use of the 2,000-pound bombs and the impact they could have in dense urban settings (like Rafah).”

In 2016, the United States and Israel signed a 10-year memorandum of understanding covering the period from 2018 to 2028 including $38 billion in military aid, $33 billion in grants to purchase military equipment, and $5 billion for missile defense systems.

Israel received 69 percent of its military aid from the United States from 2019 to 2023, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

Israel is the only country in the Middle East that owns the American F-35 aircraft, which is considered the most technologically advanced fighter plane in the world.

Israel is purchasing 75 F-35 aircraft. Starting last year, it received 36 aircraft and paid for them with the help of the United States.

The United States also helped Israel develop and arm the missile defense system known as Iron Dome.

The United States has repeatedly sent hundreds of millions of dollars to Israel to help replenish its stock of interceptor missiles.

Furthermore, Washington helped fund the development of Israel’s “David’s Sling” system, designed to shoot down missiles launched from a distance of 100 to 200 kilometers.

Germany

Berlin has increased approvals for defense exports to Israel nearly tenfold, reaching 326.5 million euros ($351 million) in 2023 compared to the previous year.

Berlin is treating applications for export permits to Israel as a priority after the Hamas’ operation Al Aqsa floods on October 7.

Germany primarily supplies Israel with air defense system components and communications equipment, according to the German news agency DPA.

German weapons exported to Israel included 3,000 portable anti-tank weapons and 500,000 rounds of ammunition for automatic or semi-automatic firearms.

The German news agency said that most of the export licenses were granted to purchase ground vehicles and weapons development, assembly, maintenance, and repair technology.

Germany provided about 30 percent of military aid to Israel from 2019 to 2023, according to figures from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

Italy

On May 9, an Italian Foreign Ministry source confirmed that Rome, one of the top three arms suppliers to Israel along with the United States and Germany, had halted new export approvals since the beginning of the genocide of civilians in Gaza.

The source told Reuters, “Everything stopped. And the last orders were delivered in November”

Under Italian law, arms exports to countries waging war, committing genocide, and those believed to be violating international human rights are prohibited.

Last March, Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said that Italy continued to export weapons to Israel, but only those related to previously signed requests after ensuring that the weapons would not be used against civilians in Gaza. But Israel continues to do so.

Last December alone, Italy sent weapons worth 1.3 million euros to Israel, three times the level of the same month in 2022.

Italy provided about one percent of military aid to Israel in 2019-2023, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute report, including helicopters and naval artillery.

Britain

Britain is not one of the countries classified as one of the largest arms suppliers to Israel.

In contrast to the United States, the British government does not directly grant weapons to Israel, but rather grants companies licenses to sell them, and they often include components used in the manufacture of F-35 aircraft.

Last year, Britain granted export licenses worth about 42 million pounds ($52.5 million) of defense equipment to Israel.

The licenses were for items including munitions, drones, small arms munitions, aircraft components, helicopters, and assault rifles.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said in a speech to Parliament on Thursday, “Our defense export responsibilities extremely seriously and that’s why we operate one of the most robust licensing control regimes anywhere in the world.”

Canada

On March 20, the Canadian government said it had suspended arms export licenses to Israel since January 8, with the freeze continuing until Ottawa can ensure that the weapons are used in compliance with humanitarian law.

International human rights groups say that the majority of those killed by Israeli bombings and ground attacks in Gaza were civilians.

Since Hamas’ operation al-Aqsa on October 7, Canada has allowed the issuance of new permits worth at least 28.5 million Canadian dollars ($21 million), more than the value of these permits allowed in the previous year.

Holland

The Dutch government halted shipments to Israel of components used in the manufacture of F-35 aircraft last February, after an appeals court ruling concluded that there was a risk of their use in violations of humanitarian law.