Israel's Weapon Sales Break Record Despite Gaza Outrage

Newsweek

3 days ago

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Israel increased its defense exports for a fourth year running in 2024, the Israeli government said on Wednesday, with significant jumps in sales to Europe despite increasing diplomatic pressure and criticism from the country's allies over the war in Gaza.
Israel exported a record $14.7 billion in defense products in 2024, marking a 13 percent increase from 2023, the Israeli Defense Ministry said on Wednesday. The country's defense exports have more than doubled over the past five years, according to the Israeli government.
There was "significant growth" in contracts signed off with European nations, which accounted for 54 percent of the deals closed last year, the ministry said—up from 35 percent in 2023.
European nations are under major pressure from the U.S. to dramatically increase defense spending as Washington makes its intention to pivot away from Europe and toward the Indo-Pacific crystal clear.
An Israeli artillery unit in southern Israel moving along the border with the Gaza Strip on January 19, 2024.
An Israeli artillery unit in southern Israel moving along the border with the Gaza Strip on January 19, 2024.Europe has long leaned on the U.S. to provide much of the most expensive capabilities it needs, broadly letting defense spending drop after the end of the Cold War.
European officials agree that military spending across the continent needs to quickly surge in the face of a floated U.S. pullback and warnings that Russia could mount an attack on a NATO country in the coming years.
But European nations have become more critical of Israel since the Israel government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, voted to expand the Israeli military's offensive in Gaza in early May and launched intensive airstrikes and ground operations weeks later. Israel has said it seeks to occupy 75 percent of the devastated Gaza Strip.
Israel's government framed the surge in demand for Israeli systems as a "direct result" of the country's war on the Palestinian militant group Hamas and its fight against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
"The world sees Israeli strength and seeks to be a partner in it," Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement.
"The new record in Israeli defense exports, achieved during a year of war, reflects more than anything else the growing global appreciation for Israeli technology's proven capabilities," said Major General Amir Baram, the director general of Israel's Defense Ministry.
Israel launched its offensive in Gaza after Hamas carried out its unprecedented October 7 attacks in 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 more hostage into the strip.
The almost 20 months of war has torn Gaza apart, often displacing residents multiple times and killing more than 54,000 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. A U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreed in January collapsed in March as Israel enforced a blockade on all humanitarian aid into the strip.
Almost three months later, Israel said it had allowed some aid into Gaza in mid-May for "practical" and "diplomatic" reasons.
"We strongly oppose the expansion of Israel's military operations in Gaza," the U.K., France and Canada said in a joint statement last month.
"We will not stand by while the Netanyahu Government pursues these egregious actions," the statement continued. "If Israel does not cease the renewed military offensive and lift its restrictions on humanitarian aid, we will take further concrete actions in response."
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an organization backed by the U.S. and Israel that distributes essential supplies in the strip, said it would temporarily suspend operations on Wednesday.
The Israeli military separately said it was "strictly prohibited" for Gaza residents to enter the distribution areas, as roads on the way to the centers "are considered combat zones."
The Spanish government has decided to cancel a deal with a Madrid-based subsidiary of the Israeli state-owned defense giant Rafael to produce 1,680 anti-tank weapons, Spanish media reported on Tuesday.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said last week that Berlin would review "whether what is happening in the Gaza Strip is compatible with international humanitarian law." He added, "Further arms deliveries will be authorized based on the outcome of that review."
Last month, the British government suspended free trade talks with Israel and imposed sanctions on Israeli settlers in the West Bank. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Wednesday, "Israel's recent action is appalling and in my view, counterproductive and intolerable."
The Israeli government said on Wednesday that the majority of the "hundreds" of defense deals it signed throughout the past year were worth more than $100 million.
Missiles, rockets and air defense systems accounted for almost half of all deals, a surge from 36 percent from the previous year, according to the ministry.
Israel is well known for its vaunted Iron Dome short-range air defense system, one of the many layers of air defenses the country uses to fend off different types of attacks. President Donald Trump's new Golden Dome missile defense shield for the U.S., designed to protect against next-generation, long-range weapons, is modeled on the Iron Dome.
Getting hold of more air defense systems and interceptor missiles is a top priority for European countries. NATO has requested that European members build out their ground-based air defenses fivefold in the face of Russia, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday.
Vehicles and armored personnel carriers made up almost a tenth of the sales, with satellite and space systems exports reaching 8 percent of the total, up from 2 percent in 2023.
North America took just under a 10 percent share of the 2024 deals, the Israeli government said, with Abraham Accords countries—nations in the Middle East that have normalized relations with Israel—accounted for 12 percent of sales.