Israel is not exactly Russia as far as West Europe is concerned, given the strong defense-related ties between them. But under intense pressure from Left/Liberals and ever-increasing Muslim immigrants from Africa and the Middle East, many Western governments are said to have pursued anti-Israel measures that have serious security implications, if strategic analysts are to be believed.
It is significant to note that Israel and countries like France, Germany, and Italy import arms from and export arms to one another in a very big way.
However, with Donald Trump, widely believed to be on the path of regaining the U.S. Presidency, advocating the cause of Israel in its fight against Hamas/Palestine, countries like France and Germany are now under equal pressure to tread cautiously in their current policies toward Tel Aviv.
The rising popularity of right-of-center parties, as evident in the recently concluded elections and opinion polls, also adds pressure on most of the Left/Liberal and pro-Palestine governments in Europe.
In fact, there is now a strong debate in France over the Emmanuel Macron government’s decision to ban Israeli companies from participating in the biennial Eurosatory defense exhibition in Paris that was held last month (June 17-21). That this decision was subsequently overturned by the French Court is a different matter.
But the fact remains that the Macron government had come under several pro-Palestinian groups to ensure that the Israeli companies were barred from participating in the exhibition, Europe’s largest.
Pro-Hamas/Palestinian forces are so strong in France these days that Israeli Olympians taking part in Paris 2024 have received death threats, hate messages, and vitriol online over the last few days. Senders of anonymous emails said last week-end that they intended to harm “any Israeli presence at the Olympics” and repeat the action of Munich 1972 and told the athletes to “Prepare for the intifada!”
It may be noted that during the Munich 1972 Olympics, 11 Israelis were murdered by the Palestinian terrorist group called Black September.
Be that as it may, Macron’s decision to debar the Israeli defense companies at the Eurosatory defense exhibition has been criticized for his alleged double standard in continuing to sell French arms to Israel despite its attacks on Gaza.
It has been reported how an arms export report presented to Parliament by the French Defense Ministry indicated that France has issued some 767 export licenses for Israel since 2015. Apparently, France sells an average of 20 million euros ($21.9 million) worth of military equipment to Israel each year.
Between 2013 and 2022, the value of military equipment sent from France to Israel reached 207.6 million euros (nearly $266 million). France also issued export licenses for Israel worth a total of 2.5 billion euros ($2.7 billion) between 2014 and 2022.
Likewise, Israeli arms imports from Germany are considerable.
Last year, the German government authorized arms exports to Israel worth €326.5 ($355.3 million). Of this amount, €20 million was earmarked for weapons of war, while the remaining €306.3 million was reserved for defense equipment.
Reportedly, German supplies to Israel include 3,000 portable anti-tank weapons, 500,000 rounds of ammunition for fully and semi-automatic firearms, as well as other fuses and propellants. Much of the over €300 million items cover armored vehicles, military trucks, and safety glass.
In fact, after the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, Germany’s military exports have been said to have registered a significant rise.
Italy is said to be the third-biggest arms exporter to Israel after the United States and Germany. Its exports include helicopters and naval artillery. Many of these sales were reportedly approved between October and December last year, despite the government’s assurances that it was blocking them under a law that bans weapons sales to countries that are waging war or are deemed to be violating human rights.
The Other Part
However, all this is one part of the story. The other part is equally significant. Europeans also import a large number of Israeli arms side by side.
An Israeli government report released last month (June 17) revealed that the country’s defense exports rose to a record $13.1 billion in 2023. Of this, 36 percent came from missile, rocket, and air defense systems, followed by radar and electronic warfare, weapon stations, and launchers at 11% each, and crewed aircraft and avionics at 9%.
Though Indo-Pacific nations accounted for 48 percent of Israel’s 2023 defense exports, largely driven by India, Europe’s portion was not less significant. European nations accounted for 35 percent of all Israeli defense exports in 2023.
Apparently, on November 23 last year, amidst full-scale Israeli operations in the Gaza strip, Israel and Germany finalized a nearly $3.6 billion deal for the Arrow-3 air defense system, jointly produced by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Boeing. It is the largest defense deal in Israel’s history. These systems are scheduled to be delivered to Germany in 2025.
In Israel, Arrow 3 is the highest layer of the nation’s multi-tiered air defense array—above the Iron Dome and David’s Sling systems—and is designed to confront exo-atmospheric threats, such as ballistic missiles. Since it was jointly developed with an American company, Israel has obtained the necessary American approval, as per contract rules, for selling Arrow 3 to Germany.
Incidentally, in April this year, Arrow 3 was instrumental in intercepting the ballistic missiles that were part of the 300 ballistic, cruise missiles, and drones Iran launched at Israel. No wonder why Arrow 3 is now having rising demand from many parts of the world.
Meanwhile, David’s Sling, co-developed by American Raytheon and Israel’s Rafael, is on track to be received by Finland in the system’s first international sale.
Israel’s Defense Ministry signed an agreement for the sale of the David’s Sling air defense system to Finland on November 12 last year in what was said to be a first-of-its-kind deal estimated at 317 million euros.
David’s Sling is said to be a complete, medium to Long-Range air and missile defense system that can comprise the upper tier of a multilayer defensive array, providing wide coverage and extended protection against the full spectrum of missile threats.
Although David’s Sling system has been operational for about six years, it only made its first real-world interception in May 2023, when it shot down a rocket fired at Tel Aviv from the Gaza Strip.
Since then, the defense system has been used twice in Israel’s ongoing war against the Hamas terror group, taking down a long-range missile launched from Gaza at northern Israel.
Similarly, last spring, Estonia had signed a major deal with IAI for loitering munitions.
In June this year, Israel’s Elbit Systems won a contract to produce $53 million worth of mortar systems for an unnamed European customer. Known as crossbow unmanned turreted mortar systems, these offer, it is said, high protection and survivability for the mortar operator’s crew, a short sensor-to-shooter circle, and the ability to shoot the first round in less than 30 seconds.
This deal is said to be marking the first contract signed for the supply of the Crossbow since its unveiling at the DSEI exhibition in London in 2023. Elbit Systems’ Crossbow can fire a variety of NATO 120mm ammunition, including the Iron Sting guided mortar munitions, providing an effective range of up to 10km, it is claimed. No index loading is required for the Crossbow turret, which offers a 360° capability.
If anything, the above examples suggest that Israel and European powers, particularly NATO partners, bolster each other’s defense and security, something that is unlikely to remain clouded for a long time over the Palestine issue, particularly when a likely Trump-Presidency makes it imperative for the Europeans to spend much more on their respective defense budgets.
- Author and veteran journalist Prakash Nanda is Chairman of the Editorial Board – EurAsian Times and has been commenting on politics, foreign policy, on strategic affairs for nearly three decades. A former National Fellow of the Indian Council for Historical Research and recipient of the Seoul Peace Prize Scholarship, he is also a Professor at Reva University, Bangalore.
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