{"id":269964,"date":"2024-07-22T12:00:14","date_gmt":"2024-07-22T11:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=269964"},"modified":"2024-07-21T06:15:37","modified_gmt":"2024-07-21T05:15:37","slug":"natos-obscure-relations-with-israel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2024\/07\/natos-obscure-relations-with-israel\/","title":{"rendered":"NATO\u2019s Obscure Relations with Israel"},"content":{"rendered":"

On the arms flowing between members of the military alliance and Israel, which despite its small size, ranks as the 15th top weapons importer in the world. <\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

20 Jul 2024 <\/em>– NATO has a long, close and relatively unknown relationship with Israel that in 2016 resulted in the establishment of an Israel office in the Brussels headquarters of the military alliance.<\/p>\n

Underscoring the importance to Israel\u2019s association with NATO, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said upon the opening of the office, <\/a>\u00a0\u201cThis is an important step that helps Israel\u2019s security. It is further proof to the status of Israel and the willingness of many organizations to cooperate with us in the field of security.\u201d<\/p>\n

NATO\u2019s invitation to Israel to take up residence in NATO headquarters was a result of pressure by other NATO members on Turkey to drop its veto<\/a> of the invitation. The invitation arose through a new NATO partnership policy beginning in 2014 but Turkey vetoed the invitation until 2016.<\/p>\n

Behind the scenes negotiations between Turkey and Israel in 2015 warmed the chilly relationship that had been essentially severed between the countries in 2010 over Israeli commandos killing 10 Turkish activists and wounding over 50 participants on the Mavi Marmara, a Turkish ship bound for Gaza as a part of the seven-ship Gaza Freedom Flotilla.<\/p>\n

According to NATO documents,<\/a> NATO and Israel have worked together for almost 30 years, cooperating in science and technology, counter terrorism, civil preparedness, countering weapons of mass destruction and women, peace and security.<\/p>\n

To strengthen NATO naval interoperability NATO brought on Israel as a partner for its Operation Sea Guardian.\u00a0 Israel\u2019s military medical academy now serves as a \u201cunique asset\u201d for NATO\u2019s Partnership Training and Education Centers community.<\/p>\n

Israel is not officially integrated in NATO<\/a> but is part of the Mediterranean Dialogue, a program sponsored by NATO in cooperation with seven countries of the Mediterranean.<\/p>\n

Arms Dealing\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

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The NATO secretary general on July 9, giving keynote speech at the Defense Industry Forum
\nduring the NATO Summit in Washington. (NATO, Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

NATO\u2019s long-standing working relationship with Israel has translated into NATO countries selling weapons to Israel and other countries buying weapons from Israel\u2019s big weapons industry.<\/p>\n

With the exception of Canada, the Netherlands, Spain, and Belgium,<\/a> the remainder of the 32 NATO members continue to sell\/send weapons to Israel as Israel conducts genocide operations on Palestinians in Gaza.<\/p>\n

Due to a court case, Denmark may suspend export of F-35 fighter jet parts to the U.S., because the U.S. sells the jets to Israel.<\/p>\n

Even Latvia sold weapons to Israel<\/a>, while Lithuania bought weapons from Israel<\/a>. Greece<\/a>, Albania<\/a>, Slovakia<\/a>, and many other NATO countries have purchased military equipment from Israel.<\/p>\n

The Action on Armed Violence has a comprehensive worldwide listing of weapons sales and transfers to Israel.<\/p>\n

US Main Supplier of Foreign-Sourced Weapons<\/b><\/p>\n

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U.S. President Joe Biden at the NATO summit on July 10. (NATO\/Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Israel has been the largest cumulative recipient of U.S. foreign aid since its founding in 1948, having received about $310 billion in economic and military assistance.\u00a0 Since Oct. 7, 2023, the U.S. has passed legislation that has provided at least $12.5 billion in military aid to Israel, which included $3.8 billion from legislation in March 2024 and $8.7 billion from a supplemental appropriation in April 2024.<\/p>\n

Since Oct. 7, only two of the more than one hundred military aid transfers<\/a> to Israel have reportedly met the congressional review threshold of $250 million to be made public, and since the records for the other weapons transfers have not been made public, we can\u2019t be sure .<\/p>\n

Additionally, the Israeli military received expedited deliveries of weapons from a strategic stockpile of weapons<\/a> that is normally used to replenishment weapons for U.S. units in the Middle East.\u00a0 The U.S. has maintained massive warehouses for the stockpile of a huge variety and amount of weapons since the 1980s.<\/p>\n

All of the Israeli Air Force\u2019s manned aircraft<\/a> that are bombing people in Gaza are American-made, with the exception of one helicopter built by France\u2019s Airbus Helicopters.\u00a0 Israel is the first international operator of the U.S. F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the most technologically advanced fighter jet ever made, and had taken delivery of 36 of 75 F-35s by the end of 2023, paying for them with U.S. assistance.<\/p>\n

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77 years on, the Palestinian NAKBA continues https:\/\/t.co\/4WGdpc4lSh<\/a><\/p>\n

— Marwan (@marwanbishara) July 13, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n