Why are European arms reaching Israel?

Euronews

6 days ago

European dockworkers are calling on EU governments to halt arms shipments and withdraw diplomatic support for Israel. They stress that international treaties state that weapons should not be exported to war zones where human rights are violated.
'Over the past two years, we've seen an increase in the movement of weapons through civilian ports,' says Josè Nivoi, a key figure in the Genoese dockworkers' movement.
'We've filed a number of legal complaints. An excuse they often use is that they frame it as a private transaction rather than a state-to-state arms transfer — as if they were trading bananas.'
For years Nivoi has collected evidence about arms cargo loads in the port as a union manager. Dockworkers accuse authorities of deliberately keeping silent about controversial shipments.
'In Italy, Law no. 185 of 1990 in principle prohibits the transit and shipment of weapons to countries at war. We are calling for civilian ports not to be used to move arms.'
In 2024, Italy announced that it had suspended shipments of military equipment to Israel, while honouring contracts signed before 7 October 2023. This translates into over €6 million in weapons, ammunition, maintenance and spare parts.
Facts and figures on Israel's weapons' imports
Israel imports almost 70% of its arsenal from the US, the world's largest arms exporter. Germany is Israel's second supplier. Since 7 October 2023, it has exported 485 million euros worth of weapons. Italy ranks third, supplying less than 1%.
The UN Arms Trade Treaty and the European Common Position state that human rights violations and war crimes should prevent such sales. The EU Council Common Position is legally binding but it lacks enforcement. Member States can interpret it differently. Following Israel's war on Gaza, Italy, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands have halted or restricted exports. There's little scrutiny over Hamas's weapons, mostly from Iran, which has not signed the UN arms trade treaty.
Why does Israel receive military support from EU countries?
The EU recently found that Israel is breaching its human rights obligations in Gaza. So why does Israel still receive military support from European countries? Giorgio Beretta, one of the most authoritative Italian analysts on the arms trade and a long-standing voice of the Italian Peace and Disarmament Network, explains that treaties are voluntary and then each country must commit to them.
'The regulations are sound. The problem lies in their enforcement, because there is always a wide margin of discretion,' says Giorgio Beretta of the Permanent Observatory on Small Arms, OPAL.
Beretta says the information provided to national governments, which are responsible for ensuring weapons are not used to commit human rights violations, is often too vague.
'A general category might be indicated, such as 'aircraft' or 'naval vessels', but there's a big difference between aircraft used for ground attacks and aircraft used for rescue. By the time a parliament reviews exports, the weapons have often already been delivered.'
In May 2025, the EU announced a review of the EU Israel Association Agreement after finding Israel in breach of the trade deal's human rights clause, citing violations in Gaza and the West Bank. By July, the EU had postponed any actions, let alone any sanctions, including a possible arms embargo — yet again exposing its deep-rooted divisions over Israel.