The US has been Israel’s major arms supplier for decades. According to the Stockholm-based research institute SIPRI, 99% of arms imports for Israel between 2019 and 2023 come from the US (69%) and Germany (30%).

Before the Hamas attack on Israel, arms exports from Washington were estimated at over three billion dollars a year. In absolute numbers, however, Israel lags behind other countries in the region. Over the past five years, the US delivered 15% of its arms exports to Saudi Arabia, 8.2% to Qatar, 4.5% to Kuwait, and just 3.6% of exports went to Israel.

It is also noteworthy that the total arms imports for Israel last year were not significantly higher than the previous year.

What weapons does the US supply Israel with?

The delivery of heavy bombs to Israel for the war in Gaza is particularly controversial in the US. However, the fact that Joe Biden in May suspended the delivery of heavy bombs for several weeks does not change the systematic and steady flow of American weapons on the other side of the Atlantic.

The 907 kg MK84 bomb is one of the largest conventional free-fall bombs in the US military’s arsenal. It contains more than 400 kg of Triton explosives and can penetrate concrete and metal structures, causing massive destruction. This bomb is often used against heavily fortified targets or underground shelters. Its use in densely populated areas is considered by experts to be particularly controversial due to the large blast radius and the enormous destruction they can cause.

Why is military aid to Israel controversial?

Last year, the German government approved arms exports worth a total of 326.5 million euros to Israel. Of this amount, 306.3 million euros related to defense equipment and approximately 20 million euros to military weapons.

German military aid to Israel has repeatedly come under fire in the past. Last April, however, the human rights organization European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) filed an urgent application at the Berlin Administrative Court with the aim of stopping German arms deliveries to Israel.

The ECCHR filed a lawsuit on behalf of five Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip whose relatives had been killed by Israeli bomb attacks. The court rejected the applications in mid-June on the grounds that the federal government was acting in accordance with applicable law and international obligations when it approved the exports.

Edited by: Chrysa Vachtsevanu