The wartime destruction of Gaza and killing of thousands has highlighted the role of the United States, Israel’s biggest arms supplier.
The United States has suspended a shipment of weapons to Israel, including heavy, bunker-busting bombs Israeli forces have used in their war against Hamas militants in Gaza that has killed nearly 35,000 Palestinians in seven months.
US President Joe Biden acted in the face of Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to pursue a military assault on the Gazan city of Rafah over Washington’s objections, given large numbers of vulnerable displaced people there.
The US is by far the largest arms supplier to its closest Middle East ally, followed by Germany – whose strong support for Israel reflects in part atonement for the Nazi Holocaust – and Italy.
Two countries, Canada and the Netherlands, have halted arms supplies to Israel over concerns they could be used in ways violating international humanitarian law – causing civilian casualties and destruction of living areas – in Gaza.United States
The suspended arms delivery to Israel consisted of 1,800 2,000-pound (907kg) bombs and 1,700 500-pound bombs, according to US officials. The decision arose from concerns about the “end-use of the 2,000-pound bombs and the impact they could have in dense urban settings (like Rafah) …,” a US official said.
In 2016 the US and Israel signed a third 10-year Memorandum of Understanding covering the 2018-2028 period providing for US$38 billion in military aid, US$33 billion in grants to buy military equipment and US$5 billion for missile defence systems.
Israel received 69 per cent of its military aid from the US in the 2019-2023 period, according to a March fact sheet issued by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
Israel is the first international operator of the US F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, considered the most technologically advanced fighter jet ever made. Israel is in the process of buying 75 F-35s and – as of last year – had taken delivery of 36, paying for them with US assistance.
