Arms to Israel: Will countries halt sales in wake of ICC arrest warrants?

Western nations which waste arms to Israel whitethorn beryllium forced to re-evaluate their waste and acquisition agreements aft arrest warrants issued by nan International Criminal Court (ICC) against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his erstwhile Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for “war crimes” and “crimes against humanity” successful Gaza, experts say.

The warrants came amid Israel’s continuing bombardment and subject run connected nan Gaza Strip, wherever much than 44,000 Palestinians person been killed since October 7, 2023, according to wellness officials.

All 124 countries which are signatories to nan Rome Statute of nan ICC are now legally obliged to apprehension Netanyahu and Gallant if they group ft connected their territory.

The mobility of whether countries supplying arms to a state whose leaders are accused of crimes against humanity could beryllium considered complicit is unclear, but experts opportunity immoderate suppliers will person to see cautiously if they wish to proceed to support Israel successful its warfare connected Gaza.

(Al Jazeera)

Which countries supply arms to Israel?

Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) estimated that betwixt 2019 and 2023, Israel was nan 15th largest importer of arms globally.

It said nan United States, Germany, nan United Kingdom, France and Spain export arms to Israel.

A United Nations study published connected February 23, 2024 says Canada and Australia person besides exported weapons to Israel.

The US

Israel imported 69 percent of its weapons from nan US betwixt 2019 and 2023, according to SIPRI. The rule of ensuring that Israel has a “qualitative subject edge” was enshrined successful US rule successful 2008.

After October 7, 2023, erstwhile Israel launched its ongoing battle connected nan Gaza Strip pursuing a Hamas-led onslaught connected villages and service outposts successful confederate Israel, nan US further ramped up nan transportation of weapons to Israel. Last month, Washington announced it would nonstop its precocious Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) rocket defence strategy to Israel, on pinch US soldiers who would run nan system.

On Wednesday, nan US Senate voted down an effort led by independent Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders to artifact a bid of planned weapons income to Israel. Sanders introduced nan measure against a $20bn weapons woody which had been approved by nan management of President Joe Biden.

So far, nan US, which is not a signatory to nan Rome Statute of nan ICC, has shown nary signs of being prepared to trim aliases halt weapons to Israel. “We fundamentally cull nan court’s determination to rumor apprehension warrants for elder Israeli officials,” White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters. This sentiment was shared by galore politicians from some parties successful nan US.

Germany

SIPRI estimates weapons sent by Germany represent 30 percent of Israel’s limb imports, a tenfold emergence successful 2023 compared pinch 2022. Germany mostly sends naval instrumentality to Israel, including frigates and torpedoes.

In March, Nicaragua revenge a lawsuit astatine nan International Court of Justice (ICJ), asking nan tribunal to bid Germany to instantly extremity exporting arms to Israel because “this assistance is utilized aliases could beryllium utilized to perpetrate aliases to facilitate superior violations of nan Genocide Convention, world humanitarian rule aliases different peremptory norms of wide world law”.

On April 30, nan tribunal rejected nan request, saying nan monetary worth of nan weapons for which Germany granted export licences had decreased. In June, respective Palestinians successful Gaza revenge requests to an administrative tribunal successful Berlin to extremity nan German authorities from exporting weapons. These requests were besides rejected.

In September, a spokesperson for nan German Ministry for Economic Affairs said: “There is nary German arms export boycott against Israel.”

The UK

SIPRI information shows that while nan UK has not provided Israel pinch awesome arms since nan 1970s, it has provided components for various systems specified arsenic nan F-35 combat aircraft.

“No lethal aliases different subject instrumentality has been provided to Israel by nan UK Government since 4 December 2023,” then-Minister of State for nan Armed Forces Leo Docherty told Parliament successful April 2024.

Official information connected export permits successful June 2024 showed that 108 licences, for which Israel was listed arsenic a recipient, had been approved since October 7, 2023.

In September this year, nan UK suspended 30 licences retired of a full of 350. These 30 pertained to weapons that nan UK believed were being utilized successful subject operations successful Gaza.

Which different countries person restricted arms income complete nan people of nan war?

France

According to information by SIPRI, France did not nonstop weapons to Israel betwixt 2019 and 2023, and nan past clip it sent weapons was successful 1998.

However, France does proviso components utilized to build weapons.

In June, French investigative media website, Disclose, revealed that France had sent physics instrumentality for drones suspected of being utilized to explosive civilians successful Gaza.

In October, French President Emmanuel Macron told French media: “I deliberation that today, nan privilege is that we return to a governmental solution, that we extremity delivering weapons to conflict successful Gaza.” He added: “France is not delivering any.”

Italy

SIPRI estimates that Italy’s weapons sent to Israel accounted for 0.9 percent of Israel’s weapons imports betwixt 2019 and 2023. Italy mostly sent ray helicopters and naval guns.

The Italian authorities made repeated assurances that Italy had not sent weapons to Israel since nan warfare collapsed out.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said successful nan Italian Senate successful October this year: “The authorities instantly suspended each caller export licences, and each agreements signed aft October 7th [2023] were not implemented.”

However, successful March this year, Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said contempt these assurances, Italy had sent immoderate weapons to Israel.

Crosetto said these were nan weapons for which orders were signed earlier October 7.

Independent Italian media outlet Altreconomia analysed information from statistic agency ISTAT and reported that Italy had sent 2.1 cardinal euros ($2.2m) successful arms and munitions to Israel successful nan past 3 months of 2023.

Spain

The Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation issued a news merchandise successful February 2024 saying arms income to Israel had not been authorised since October 7, 2023.

Euronews reported that Spanish investigative journalists recovered that successful November 2023, munitions worthy 987,000 euros ($1.03m), were sent to Israel nether a licence approved earlier October 7, 2023, however.

Canada

In February this year, Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly said Canada would extremity each arms shipments to Israel.

However, campaigners claimed that Canada was sending weapons to Israel via nan US instead.

In September, Joly said Canada had suspended 30 permits for arms income to Israel. It is unclear really galore permits successful full exist.

Joly added that Canada had cancelled a statement pinch a US institution that would waste Quebec-manufactured arms to Israel.

Belgium, Japanese company

Belgium and a Japanese institution person besides suspended weapons exports to Israel.

How mightiness nan ICC apprehension warrants impact arms income to Israel?

By issuing nan apprehension warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant, relating to warfare crimes and crimes against humanity, “the ICC has besides made a definite request connected Western countries some successful North America and passim Europe,” Neve Gordon, professor of world rule astatine Queen Mary University of London told Al Jazeera.

“And that has to do pinch nan benignant of waste and acquisition agreements that they person pinch Israel – first and foremost pinch nan waste and acquisition relating to arms.”

He added: “If leaders of Israel are charged pinch crimes against humanity, past this intends that nan weapons provided by Western nations are being utilized to perpetrate crimes against humanity.”

The ICC determination could good truthful lead much Western countries to spot embargoes connected weapons exports to Israel, Eran Shamir-Borer, nan head of nan Center for National Security and Democracy astatine nan Israel Democracy Institute told Israeli newspaper Haaretz. Shamir-Borer was formerly portion of nan Israeli military.

Most countries person a memorandum of arms waste and acquisition which sets retired nan conditions nether which arms tin beryllium traded, Gordon said.

In each memorandum, a proviso intelligibly states that nan state “cannot nonstop weapons to an entity that uses nan weapons to transportation retired superior violations of world humanitarian rule specified arsenic nan 1949 4 Geneva Conventions and nan 1977 Additional Protocols”.

He said, truthful far, galore countries had either ignored these provisions aliases only somewhat constricted nan types of weapons they send.

However, now that nan warrants person been issued, those countries could besides perchance beryllium considered to beryllium complicit successful warfare crimes and crimes against humanity.

“I presume NGOs wrong nan countries will record petitions successful nan home courts to mobility nan legality of continuing to nonstop arms to Israel.

“Even earlier nan ICC decision, Spain and nan UK and France constricted nan weapons they send, but now I deliberation location is simply a chance that they will person to restrict it further.”