No Mercy for Israel, Slovenia First EU Country Impose Arms Embargo on Gaza Oppressors
![]() |
No Mercy for Israel, Slovenia First EU Country Impose Arms Embargo on Gaza Oppressors |
TIMEMOMENTS.COM- Israel has long been supplied with weapons by three main countries, namely the United States, Germany, and Italy.
Deutsche Welle (DW) reported on May 28, 2025, that the United States (US) is the largest supplier of weapons to Israel, accounting for approximately two-thirds of Israel's total weapons imports between 2020 and 2024. This assistance includes fighter jets, armored vehicles, and guided missiles.
From 1946 to 2024, Israel has received approximately $228 billion in military aid from the US.
This amount makes Israel the largest recipient of military aid in US history, according to the nonpartisan Council on Foreign Relations (CFR).
The current agreement guarantees aid worth $3.8 billion per year until 2028.
The majority of this aid must be used to purchase military equipment and services from U.S. companies.
Despite efforts by independent Senator Bernie Sanders to halt military sales to Israel, the U.S. Senate rejected the proposal both in April 2025 and earlier in November 2024.
This means that U.S. support for Israel is unlikely to change in the near future.
Meanwhile, Germany accounts for about a third of Israel's arms imports during the 2020–2024 period.
The aid includes naval frigates, torpedoes, armored vehicles, military trucks, anti-tank weapons, and ammunition.
Even now, Israel is awaiting the delivery of submarines from Germany.
Zain Hussain, a researcher at SIPRI, stated that Germany is a key pillar of Israel's maritime capabilities.
He told DW that “Israel is heavily dependent on Germany for its naval capabilities.”
Meanwhile, Italy only accounts for about 1% of Israel's total arms imports.
According to its constitution, the country should not be able to export arms to conflict zones.
However, an investigative report revealed that Italy continued to export weapons worth €2.1 million to Israel in the final quarter of 2023, amid active military operations in Gaza.
Amid growing global condemnation of Israel's military actions in Gaza, Spain has called on European countries to halt arms shipments to Israel.
This call was made by Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares at the European-Arab Summit in Madrid on Monday (May 26, 2025).
At the forum, Albares urged that European cooperation with Israel be suspended immediately and stated that Europe must unite in implementing an arms embargo.
"We must all agree to implement a joint arms embargo.
The last thing the Middle East needs right now is more weapons," he said.
The meeting was attended by representatives from Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Morocco, Brazil, and several intergovernmental organizations.
However, only a small number of participating countries actively supply weapons to Israel.
Several European countries have halted or suspended arms export licenses to Israel, including France, Spain, and the United Kingdom. However, their contribution to Israel's total arms supply is less than 0.1%.
Nevertheless, Slovenia, located in Central Europe, became the first European country to impose an arms embargo on Israel.
Al Jazeera's August 1, 2025 edition reported that Slovenia became the first country in the European Union to ban all arms trade with Israel in connection with its war in Gaza.
The government's action came two weeks after the Central European country declared an Israeli minister persona non grata.
The arms embargo was announced by Prime Minister Robert Golob following a government meeting on Thursday.
“Slovenia is the first European country to ban the import, export, and transit of arms to and from Israel,” the government stated in a press release.
It was noted that they acted independently “because the EU was unable to adopt concrete measures… due to internal disputes and divisions.”
Amid the devastating war in Gaza, where “people … are dying because humanitarian aid is systematically denied, it is the duty of every responsible country to take action, even if that means taking steps further than others,” the statement said.
It added that the government has not issued any permits for the export of arms and military equipment to Israel since October 2023 due to the conflict.
The Central European country has also recognized the State of Palestine in 2024.
***
The Central European country has also recognized the State of Palestine in 2024.
***
Posting Komentar untuk "No Mercy for Israel, Slovenia First EU Country Impose Arms Embargo on Gaza Oppressors"