Israel's weapons trade: a lucrative venture, fueling profits from the ongoing occupation
Israel, known for its robust military capabilities, ranked as the tenth-largest arms exporter globally and the largest per capita, recorded a record-breaking $12.5 billion in arms sales in 2022. However, this thriving arms trade is facing mounting challenges and scrutiny, particularly from the United States and the European Union, due to allegations of human rights violations in the occupied Palestinian territories.
United States: A Tumultuous Relationship
The United States, a significant provider of military aid and arms exports to Israel, is experiencing legal and political challenges in these transfers. The Foreign Assistance Act and Arms Export Control Act serve as the primary legal frameworks regulating U.S. arms sales, with provisions that prohibit such sales when human rights violations are involved.
Recent developments have seen attempts by the U.S. Senate to block major arms sales to Israel, including precision-guided bombs and automatic assault rifles, citing their use in atrocities against Palestinians and the starvation in Gaza. Although these resolutions did not pass, the July 2025 vote marked the strongest Senate opposition to weapons transfers to Israel in U.S. history, with a majority of Democrats supporting the ban.
Domestic courts in the U.S. have also been blocking arms exports to Israel, posing regulatory risks for defense contractors such as Lockheed Martin and Raytheon. The ongoing geopolitical and legal tensions around arms exports reflect concerns over Israel’s actions being investigated by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for genocide claims, influencing U.S. arms export policy revisions and legal challenges.
European Union: A Shift Towards Stricter Controls
European countries, including the Netherlands and the UK, have also seen court rulings blocking arms exports to Israel, indicating increased judicial scrutiny tied to human rights and international law compliance. While the specific EU-wide policy updates from 2025 are not detailed, the EU’s Common Position on arms exports requires member states to assess the risk of exports being used for human rights violations, which is increasingly invoked in the context of Israel.
Contextual Factors
Independent Israeli and international rights groups, including B'Tselem, have labelled Israeli actions in Gaza as genocide, and UN experts have warned of famine conditions in Gaza due to Israeli blockades. These issues drive political and legal pressures in exporter countries to reconsider the legality and morality of continuing arms exports.
In summary, arms exports to Israel from the U.S. and European countries are currently subject to increasing legal challenges and political debate due to documented human rights violations and conflict-related humanitarian crises in the Palestinian territories. While no outright export bans have been institutionalized, recent votes and court decisions signal a shift towards stricter controls and heightened scrutiny of these arms transfers.
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