Israeli weapons sales reach record $12bn thanks to Abraham Accords, Ukraine war

ByNews Desk- The Cradle

Arab states that normalized ties with Tel Aviv account for almost a quarter of the new business

Israel exported $12.556 billion in defense products last year, the largest amount ever, with new Arab partners under the US-sponsored Abraham Accords accounting for almost a quarter of the business, Reuters reported on 14 June.

Israel’s defense ministry said the country’s 2022 sales increased by 50 percent compared to the previous three years and doubled the volume over the last decade. Drones accounted for 25 percent of the 2022 exports, and missiles, rockets, or air defense systems for 19 percent, Reuters noted.

The ministry stated that Asia and the Pacific accounted for 30 percent of Israeli defense exports, Europe 29 percent, and North America 11 percent.

Additionally, 24 percent of weapons sales were to Arab countries that have normalized ties with Tel Aviv.

In 2020, UAE and Bahrain signed the Abraham Accords, promoted by the Trump White House as a step in Arab-Israeli peace, despite passing any effort to solve Israel’s occupation of Palestine.

Morocco and Sudan later joined the initiative as well.

In 2022, Israel reportedly sold advanced Barak and Spyder air defense systems to UAE, allegedly to counter Iranian drones and missiles. Earlier this year, Morocco also signed a contract to purchase the Barak interceptor system.

The US and Israel sought to add Saudi Arabia to the list of Abraham Accords signees, which would help open the way for Israeli weapons sales to the kingdom. However, Saudi Arabia has so far rebuffed the request, demanding that the US provide security guarantees, additional arms sales, and nuclear technology and that Israel allow the establishment of a Palestinian state.

The war between Russia and Ukraine has also been a source of increased defense and weapons sales for Israel over the past year. The war has underscored the value of drones and air defense systems, providing new markets for Israeli products for Arab and NATO member countries.

Germany signed a deal in March to purchase Israel’s Arrow 3 Missile defense system for $4.3 billion.

“There’s an understanding today that the air defense issue is very central – and it’s comprised of several layers – defense against missiles and airplanes as well as against [large and small] drones,” Boaz Levy, the CEO of Israel Aerospace Industries, told Haaretz in November.

“The field of air defense will continue to be one of greater importance in light of the changes in threats from the air around the world,” said Dr. Liran Antebi, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies at Tel Aviv University, “in part because of the growing expansion of simple, cheap and available means such as suicide drones and small drones, alongside the classic threats.”