The figures from the Ministry of Defense speak of exports worth 12,500 million dollars. The partners of the agreement represent about 25% of the total. The overall figure increased by 50% over the previous three years. Asia and the Pacific represent 30% of the market, followed by Europe with 29%.
Jerusalem () – The “Abraham Accords” continue to boost Israeli arms exports, with record numbers between the Gulf nations and the Asian continent. According to Defense Ministry figures, in 2022, the Hebrew state sold defense products worth a total of more than $12.5 billion to foreign nations. Of these, the Arab partners (United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan) that are part of the pact signed in 2020 under the aegis of the United States and at the behest of the Republican administration led by then-President Donald Trump, account for around a quarter of the total. Already last year, former Defense Minister Benny Gantz extolled the “military value” of the pact with agreements worth 3,000 million.
According to the latest figures compiled by the ministry, 2022 was an increase of 50% over the previous three years and double the total volume compared to the previous decade. Military drones accounted for 25% of exports last year, followed by missiles, rockets and defense systems, worth around 19%.
Although without specifying names, ministry sources indicated that 24% of the sector’s exports went to partner countries of the “Agreement”, among which the Emirates and Bahrain stand out. Expanding the study to the continental level, Asia and the Pacific represented 30% of the market, followed by Europe with 29% and North America with 11%.
Last year, Israel sent a senior navy officer to Bahrain and, according to satellite images, the UAE deployed Israeli Barak air defense systems, further confirming a strong partnership. Last week, the Israeli envoy to Morocco stated that Elbit Systems, a leading defense technology company, plans to open two centers in Morocco as the government considers recognizing Rabat’s sovereignty over the disputed territory of Western Sahara.
He boom The arms war shows how ties between Israel and Arab states have progressed, despite recent tensions in the West Bank and the reluctance of Gulf nations to join a US-Israeli sponsored defense group dubbed the “NATO Middle East”. East”. Business growth goes hand in hand with rising tensions, and a top Israeli military commander has gone so far as to say that “there is more potential for a full-scale war than ever before,” especially with Iran, the historical enemy.
Fears in the upper echelons of the Jewish State were growing parallel to the prospect of a new nuclear agreement between Washington and Tehran on Iranian nuclear energy. Last week, sources from the Middle East Eye they had speculated on an “interim pact” between the parties to freeze the Islamic Republic’s nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of sanctions and the possibility of selling oil. In parallel, there are the diplomatic efforts of the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to normalize relations with Riyadh, although the Wahhabi kingdom has repeatedly made it a condition for entering into the agreements that the Palestinian question be resolved. The Saudis, also because the country left the (exclusive) sphere of influence of the United States to sign agreements and cooperation a long time ago, remain cautious when it comes to closing deals with China in the economic, diplomatic and military spheres.
