Israeli arms exports reached a record level in 2022, and nearly a quarter of those exports were to Arab countries with which Israel recently normalized relations, Israel’s Defense Ministry announced today.

The ministry, which oversees and approves exports of defense products, said exports to “Abraham Pact countries” reached $2.96 billion last year, 24 percent of total exports.

In 2021, exports to these countries had reached $853 million (about 789 million euros), or 9% of the total, according to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

As of 2020, Israel has normalized relations with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan under the Abraham Accords, which were concluded under the auspices of the United States.

These agreements caused a rift in the common Arab position that no agreement with Israel is possible without a resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The deals have been denounced as a “betrayal” by the Palestinians.

“Global instability increases the demand for Israeli air defense systems, drones and missiles, and we are constantly working to maintain and strengthen our capabilities,” the director general of the Israeli ministry, Eyal Zamir, underlined.

According to the ministry, these exports have doubled over the past nine years, reaching a record $12.5 billion (€11.5 billion) in 2022.

Last year, drones accounted for a quarter of exports and “missiles, rockets and air defense systems” 19%.

According to a German government source, Berlin is seeking to shell out four billion euros to acquire Israel’s ‘Arrow 3’ missile defense system. According to the same source, the budget committee of the Bundestag was to release today a first package of 560 million euros for a pre-treaty agreement with Israel.