Global pressure grows on U.S. and Germany to stop arming to Israel

But so far, the movement lacks the clear support of two countries that supply almost all imported weapons to Israel: the United States and Germany. Both voted against the nonbinding resolution at the U.N. Human Rights Council this week.

The United States and Germany supply roughly 99 percent of all arms imported to Israel, according to an analysis published in March by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

By SIPRI’s estimates, Israel imported 69 percent of its arms from the United States and 30 percent from Germany from 2019 to 2023. That’s partly a reflection of where arms manufacturers are located but also a result of government policy. U.S. aid to Israel comes largely in the form of grants for use on U.S.-made military equipment. The German government, meanwhile, has made export approval of German-made arms for Israel a priority.

Both President Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz expedited arms shipments for Israel after the Oct. 7 attacks on the country that left 1,200 dead.

“The United States is the key to arms restrictions having any significant impact on Israeli policy,” said Seth Binder, an expert at the Middle East Democracy Center.

There…