A Palestinian child injured in an Israeli raid receives treatment at Al-Najjar Hospital in Rafah, Gaza Strip (Associated Press)
As pressure increases from Israel's critics globally to stop arms supplies to Tel Aviv, citing fears that these weapons will be used to commit serious crimes against civilians in the Gaza Strip, recent data reveals that the majority of Israeli arms imports come from companies based in the United States and Germany.
According to research conducted by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, 69% of Israel’s arms purchases come from American companies, 30% of which come from Germany, and 0.9% from Italy. The report said, "At the end of 2023, the United States quickly delivered thousands of bombs and missiles aimed at Israel, but the total volume of Israeli arms imports from the United States in 2023 was approximately the same as it was in 2022."
The report reported by the Middle East Monitor website revealed that by the end of 2023, the pending arms shipments had been delivered, and Israel's main weapons included 61 fighter aircraft from the United States and 4 submarines from Germany. He added that the sale of combat aircraft by the United States to Israel in recent decades has played "a major role in Israeli military operations against Hamas and Hezbollah."
With the exception of one helicopter manufactured by French helicopter manufacturer Airbus, all manned aircraft in the Israeli Air Force are of American origin, the Times of Israel reported. Israel relies heavily on foreign suppliers for many components of its warplanes, helicopters, warships and submarines, including countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada and the Netherlands.
The United Kingdom continued to provide military support to Israel, despite international concerns surrounding its actions in the occupied Palestinian territories, as UK manufacturers provide 15% of the components of F-35 fighter aircraft.
The British Ministry of Defense also recently revealed that 9 Israeli military aircraft have been allowed to land and leave at UK bases, and about 50 Royal Air Force aircraft have made flights to Israel since October 7.
Hundreds of politicians from 12 countries called for the imposition of an arms embargo on Israel, considering this a necessary measure for moral and legal reasons. This move comes after the Court of Appeal in The Hague (Netherlands) ordered a halt to the export of F-35 aircraft components, highlighting concerns about possible complicity in Israel's ongoing human rights violations in Gaza.
Last week, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Jolie announced the cessation of arms exports to Israel in light of the ongoing aggression against the besieged Gaza Strip. The number of martyrs since October 7 has reached 32,226 Palestinians, most of whom are women and children, in addition to 74,518 wounded.
Furthermore, the war has driven 85% of the Gaza Strip's population from their homes, destroyed or damaged most of the Strip's infrastructure and created conditions for famine as aid deliveries remain woefully inadequate.
Israel faces charges of genocide before the International Court of Justice, which ordered Tel Aviv, in an interim ruling issued last January, to stop acts of genocide and take the necessary measures to ensure the provision of humanitarian aid to civilians in the Gaza Strip.
Source: Israeli press + British press