Have you seen how the issue of who is supplying Israel’s military has become a lightning rod in international politics? While the war in Gaza goes on and the Israel-Iran proxy battle boils over into overt attacks, the world observes as the nations fueling Israel’s war effort—and the heated debate about whether it should be stopped. Israel’s weapons are formidable, but they are manufactured in a vacuum. Israel was the 15th largest importer of significant arms in the world from 2019 to 2023 and accounted for some 2% of all imports, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). That doesn’t seem all that huge, but the tale becomes more interesting if you consider the source of the weapons. Three nations are at the top of the list: the United States, Germany, and Italy. Together, they supply nearly all of Israel’s imported weapons, and the US alone accounts for some two-thirds of the total imports of the country.
The United States stands in a category of its own as Israel’s principal supplier of arms. Based on the Council on Foreign Relations, Israel has received around $310 billion in US economic and military assistance since the state’s establishment, and it is the biggest cumulative foreign aid recipient from the US. The present deal, negotiated under a 10-year memorandum of understanding, ensures Israel $3.8 billion in annual military assistance until 2028. Much of that is used to buy American defense gear and services, with $500 million spent each year on joint missile-defense systems such as Iron Dome and David’s Sling. Since the outbreak of the Gaza war, the US has passed legislation approving a minimum of $12.5 billion in direct military assistance, with some estimating even higher when considering the cost of US supplies replenished to Israel.
But it is not controversy-free. The Biden administration has come under mounting pressure from the US Congress and the public to condition or even suspend weapons shipments due to concern over the innocent lives being lost in Gaza. The White House suspended the delivery of large bombs last month to Israel due to the risk of their deployment in populated areas.
President Biden himself admitted that US-supplied bombs had resulted in civilian casualties, and in February 2024, he demanded that Israel give written guarantees that US arms would be used in compliance with international law. Yet this action has only continued unapologetically, with hardly any shipments delayed or challenged.
Germany is the second-largest exporter, supplying about 30% of Israel’s weaponry imports over recent years. This is deeply based on Germany’s post-Holocaust dedication to the security of Israel, but it has become contentious. In 2023, Germany signed off on military sales to Israel worth approximately $353 million, a tenfold rise from the previous year. The majority of these sales are nonlethal, including defense gear and communications technology, but they also involve naval frigates, submarines, armored patrols, and tank rockets. German officials continued to justify these sales despite being taken to court at the International Court of Justice on the grounds of complicity in war crimes. Germany’s arms industry is not going to slow down anytime soon, with government officials stating that every sale is separately considered and that there is no moratorium.
Italy, as a much smaller supplier, has also faced criticism. Italian law prohibits arms exports to combatant states or in a way that violates human rights, but reports indicate Italy continued to supply Israel after October 2023, fulfilling already contracted orders and reviewing cases on a merits basis to avoid supplies being turned against civilians. The financial impact is modest—roughly 1% of Israel’s overall imports—while the political effect is vast, with Italy’s government facing local and international pressure.
The United Kingdom and France are also less salient suppliers at present, having been more salient suppliers in the past. UK arms sales to Israel have decreased significantly, with the government suspending around 30 export licenses for equipment that would be used in Gaza. According to the BBC, such licenses are extended to parts for fighter jets, helicopters, and drones, but not to the necessary F-35 parts made under an international program. Human rights organizations such as Amnesty International UK have branded the restrictions too narrow, claiming loopholes still exist and that the UK risks becoming complicit in international law violations. France, on the other hand, has provided chiefly simple components and has strengthened its export restrictions since the war commenced.
It should be kept in mind that Israel is not only an importer but a credible arms manufacturer and exporter too. Israel’s defense industry is of the highest order, exporting top-of-the-line drones, missiles, and cyber resources to dozens of nations. This home-grown ability provides Israel with some immunity from embargoes, but it still depends on foreign platforms such as US-built fighter jets and German submarines for its high-end operations.
Global calls for an embargo on arms to Israel have increased, particularly from countries such as Spain and pressure groups throughout Europe. Spain called on the European Union to suspend all arms shipments to Israel, arguing that continued exports are undermining efforts to bring about peace and safeguard civilians. But as SIPRI analyst Zain Hussain notes, these sanctions can only be partially effective unless the US and Germany cooperate, as they disproportionately contribute to equipping Israel. Up until now, neither of these countries has shown any indication of changing course despite controversial debates in their parliaments and in public discourse.
The aggregate effect of these weapons flows is difficult to exaggerate. For Israel, ongoing access to advanced weaponry is crucial to its doctrine of warfare and its role as a deterrent, particularly against the threats of Hamas, Hezbollah, and most recently Iran. To the supplying nations, the relationship is a delicate balance of strategic interests, domestic politics, legal considerations, and moral issues. The financial stakes are also high—arms exports generate billions of dollars in turnover and secure thousands of jobs, but place governments at legal and reputational risk.
While Gaza and Iran fight on, the world is not just observing the battles on the battlefield but those being fought behind Washington, Berlin, London, and Rome as well. The question of who arms Israel—and on what conditions—has become the pivot of global diplomacy, and the stakes will reverberate far beyond the Middle East.
