US and Germany provide 'Israel' with 99% of weapons: Report
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"Israel" is seeking new arms suppliers, amid increasing criticism from the US.
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President Joe Biden listens as German Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaks during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on March 3, 2023. (AP)
Sixty-nine percent of "Israel's" arms acquisitions in 2023 came from US corporations, 30% came from Germany, and 0.9% from Italy, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute's (SIPRI) annual study issued in March revealed.
The report detailed that “at the end of 2023, the USA rapidly delivered thousands of guided bombs and missiles to Israel."
"By the end of 2023, pending deliveries of major arms to Israel included 61 combat aircraft from the USA and 4 submarines from Germany," it said.
According to SIPRI, the US has sold fighter warplanes to the occupation in recent decades, allowing the IOF to strike Palestinian Resistance movements and the Lebanese Resistance - Hezbollah.
The Times of Israel reported that “all of the Israeli Air Force’s current manned aircraft are American-made, aside from one helicopter built by France’s Airbus Helicopters," adding that the occupation relies on other countries like the UK, Canada, and the Netherlands for many components in its warplanes, warships, and submarines.
As per a study released in February by the Campaign Against Arms Trade, "15% of every F35 that Israel is using to bombard Gaza is made by British industry."
On March 1, over 200 Members of Parliament from 12 nations pledged to lobby their governments for a prohibition on arms sales to "Israel", asserting that they refuse to be complicit in what they deem as “Israel’s grave violation of international law” during its current aggression on Gaza, where the killing of over 30,000 Palestinians has fueled public outrage.
This letter, coordinated by Progressive International, is viewed as a practical step to amplify public discontent and bring it directly into parliamentary discussions, given that previous calls for an immediate unconditional ceasefire have been ignored or rejected by Western governments, most notably the US.
On February 12, an appeals court ordered the Dutch government to suspend exports of F-35 fighter jet parts to "Israel", citing a significant danger of violating international law.
Spain banned all arms supplies to "Israel" last month and Canada recently announced a suspension of arms deliveries to "Israel" in response to the continued war on Gaza, which has killed 32,414 Palestinians and left 74,787 injured so far.
'Israel' looking for other arms suppliers after US criticism grows
"Israel" is apparently seeking to purchase weaponry from sources other than the United States, citing growing condemnation from the US administration over the war on Gaza.
According to Israeli KAN News, an unidentified security official stated that the "increasing criticism and delegitimization [of the offensive] fueled by both Muslim groups and antisemites endangers the transfer of US-backed ammunition and warfare."
The official emphasized that current tensions between the occupation and Washington are mostly due to worries about "the entry of Israeli troops into Rafah, alongside the humanitarian issue in Gaza." It is anticipated that these difficulties "will affect Americans' willingness to continue assisting Israel with the same intensity."
There are also claims that France and Germany are planning to cease arms shipments and boycott the sale of military equipment to "Israel", citing serious ammunition shortages on their home fronts rather than Israeli war crimes. "There are no stocks in Europe; everyone is making sure to purchase the most advanced means [for themselves]," the security officer went on to say.
'Israel' fears 'snowball effect' of Western arms embargo after Canada
Although Canada is not a major arms supplier to "Israel" compared to other countries, the concern is that this move could lead to a larger trend among Western nations who might follow suit, creating a domino effect of countries halting arms sales to the entity, the Israeli Globes website reported.
Based on data from the Canadian government, arms exports to the entity amounted to only $15 million in 2022. Over the period from 2019 to 2023, Israeli imports of weapons from Canada accounted for just 0.05% of the occupation's total military imports.
By way of comparison, UK arms exports to "Israel" amounted to $53 million in 2022, while German arms exports reached $35 million in the same year. In contrast, US military aid to the entity in 2022 alone reached $3.3 billion.
Similar to other world powers, Berlin is also facing rising international and domestic pressure to take action against Israelis to end the genocide in Gaza. According to Globes, Berlin is now considered "vulnerable to the snowball effect," which is causing concerns in the entity.
During a trip to "Israel" last Sunday, Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed concern regarding the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Meanwhile, German arms exports to "Israel" surged since last October, scoring $351 million - which is ten times higher than the amount sold in 2022.
Left-wing German parties began publicly objecting to the "indiscriminate supply" of arms to the entity, saying it has committed "war crimes".
Even without selling arms to "Israel", pumping cash into the Israeli military industry by purchasing their weapons also makes countries complicit in the ongoing genocide in the Strip.
