Israel’s principal ally has already threatened to cut off supplies. US President Joe Biden declared in May that if an attack of the southern city of Rafah occurred, he would stop part of the arms shipments to Israel. But US armaments continued to trickle in as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu persisted with the war.
The most recent warning, however, indicates that US military assistance may be in jeopardy and gives Israel 30 days to remedy the humanitarian situation on the ground or face breaking US laws controlling foreign military assistance.
The United States:
The United States is overwhelmingly the biggest supplier of arms to Israel. In 2023 69% of Israel’s arm imports came from the US, according to a report into international arms transfers by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Germany was the second largest, providing 30%, followed by Italy with 0.9%. The UK, France and Spain were among other minor contributors.
The US-imported weapons “have played a major role in Israel’s military actions against Hamas and Hezbollah,” the think tank reported, noting that at the end of 2023, thousands of guided bombs and missiles were delivered from the US to Israel. F-35 and F-15 fighter jets were also delivered to Israel from the US in January 2024. It has been identified multiple instances that US-manufactured munitions were used throughout the war, including in strikes that killed civilians. Recently, CNN found that US-manufactured 2,000-pound bombs were likely used in the Israeli attack that killed Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, in Beirut.
Germany:
While in 2023, Germany contributed 30% of Israel’s weapons, that supply has significantly reduced over the course of 2024.Earlier this year, the International Court of Justice rejected a request from Nicaragua to order Germany to stop supplying military aid to Israel. One of their key reasons was that German military aid to the country had fallen from approximately €200 million ($220 million) in October 2023 to €1 million ($1.1 million) by the time of the judgement in March.
Italy:
Italy has provided helicopters and guns to Israel, according to the SIPRI, and is a partner of the F-35 fighter jet program, helping to manufacture parts. However, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told local media in late January that Italy had stopped arms shipments to Israel since October 7 last year. Any deals signed before then were still being honored, SIPRI said. Pagella Politica, an Italian monitoring organization, said Italian companies had sold arms worth almost $129 million to Israel in the decade to 2022.
The United Kingdom:
The British government says its “exports of military goods to Israel are low.” It said it granted licenses valued at $23.42 million in 2023. However, the UK has suspended some licenses to Israel for military equipment over the past year. Foreign Minister David Lammy suspended around 30 licenses out of 350 to Israel upon the Labour government taking office in July, with an official assessment finding there was a clear risk that the weapons could be used “to commit or facilitate a serious violation of international humanitarian law.”
Spain:
In February, the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation issued a press release noting that the government had not issued any arms sales to Israel since October 7 last year. On October 11, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez condemned what he described as an “unacceptable” Israeli offensive in Lebanon and urged the international community to stop arms exports to Israel.
France:
While France has historically provided Israel with arms, in recent weeks the relationship between the two countries has become strained as French President Emmanuel Macron called for an end to arms exports to Israel to try and push for a ceasefire in Lebanon and Gaza.
Source: Here
