Israel's arms exports hit all-time high, with 7 percent going to Gulf states

Israel's arms exports reached a new high in 2021, according to the country’s defence ministry, with 7 percent purchased by Gulf countries that have signed normalisation deals with Israel.

The total arms sales amounted to $11.3 billion, 30 percent higher than the previous year when they stood at $8.55 billion, according to Haaretz.

This is the first time the ministry has stated what percentage of Israel’s arms exports went to the Gulf countries.

Europe was the largest importer of Israeli arms, purchasing 41 percent of its exports. That percentage is likely to rise this year following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to reports.

Countries in the Asia-Pacific region and North America accounted for 34 and 12 percent of Israel’s arms exports respectively.

“Israel’s defence exports have reached double-digit figures for the first time, reaching a 55 percent increase within two years,” said Yair Kulas, the head of the ministry’s International Defence Cooperation Directorate on Monday as reported by The Times of Israel.

“Demand for Israeli defence products has risen in the past year, manifesting in the sharp increase in transactions between countries, among other things,” he added.

Kulas also said that the war in Ukraine was creating high demand for Israeli-made weapons. 

Israel has refused to officially send weaponry to Ukraine to help it defend itself from Russia, attempting to remain 'neutral' in the conflict.