Inside Canadian arms embargo on Israel
Much Ado About Nothing? Canada defense exports to Israel amounted to a mere $15 million in 2022.
Under pressure from pro-Palestinian organizations, Canada intends to cease the sale of arms to Israel, as confirmed by Foreign Minister Melanie Joly in an interview with The Toronto Star. This decision follows the passing of a non-binding motion in the Canadian Parliament, urging the government to take such action.
Foreign Minister Melanie Joly's told the Toronto Star on Tuesday that this would become the formal policy of the Canadian government. This is a "real thing." she commented. The direct impact of the new policy is negligible. Several EU member states implemented similar policies in the last months, none of them is critical for the IDF supply chain.
Based on Canadian government statistics, the total Canadian defense exports to Israel amounted to a mere $15 million in 2022. Over the period from 2019 to 2023, Canada's defense imports accounted for a minuscule 0.05% of Israel's overall defense imports. For context, in the same year, the United Kingdom's arms exports to Israel reached $53 million, while German arms exports amounted to $35 million. Notably the United States provides a substantial yearly military aid package to Israel, totaling $3.3 billion. Recently the The United States House of Representatives has passed an additional $14.5 billion in military aid to help with the war on Hamas. So in the end, is it everything about Washington? Almost.
Germany, a significant arms exporter to Israel, has encountered mounting international pressure and is perceived as vulnerable to the "snowball" effect following the conflict. Chancellor Olaf Scholz's recent visit to Israel underscored concerns regarding the humanitarian situation in Gaza. Critically, members of Germany's left-wing parliament have denounced the "indiscriminate supply" of weapons to Israel, citing alleged war crimes. Reports from Germany's ARD reveal a dramatic surge in Israel's defense procurement from Germany, soaring to $351 million—a tenfold rise compared to 2022—driven by the ongoing conflict.
The strategic importance of Germany for the Israeli army is mainly related to the supply of Dolphin class submarines, the backbone of the Israeli Navy. German leaders have repeatedly stressed in the past their unique commitment to the security of the State of Israel as part of the German state raison d'être after the Holocaust.
