Israeli arms sales break record despite global backlash over Gaza War
For the fourth year in a row, Israel has broken its record of annual arms sales, despite many nations publicly distancing themselves from Israel due to its handling of the war in Gaza.
“Defense exports totaled nearly $14.8 billion last year, up from $13 billion in 2023 – the previous record high,” the Times of Israel reported, citing data released by the Defense Ministry’s International Defense Cooperation Directorate. Between 2018 and 2020, that figure remained relatively steady, ranging from $7.5 billion to $8.5 billion.
The Jerusalem Post (JPost) noted that arms sales increased despite public opposition to Israel by many nations in Europe and across the globe.
“Over half of the defense export deals themselves broke the $100 million mark and over half of them were with European countries, though some countries in Europe have been among Israel’s loudest war critics,” JPost reported.
One such critic is Spain, whose prime minister has labeled Israel a “genocidal state” and recently cancelled a planned $325 million purchase of anti-tank missiles.
The Defense Ministry attributed the increase in arms sales to Israel’s consistent success on the battlefield, stating, “The unprecedented operational achievements, along with the combat experience gained by Israeli developments during the war, created high demand for Israeli technology among many countries.”
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz made similar comments.
“This tremendous achievement is a direct result of the successes of the IDF and the defense industries against Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, the ayatollah regime in Iran, and in other arenas where we operate against Israel’s enemies” Katz said.
The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
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