ARMED AND DANGEROUS:

Arms Transfers to Israel during

the Bush Administration

OUTLINE

• Background on military aid to Israel

• Arms transfers during the Bush Admin

• Impact on Palestinian civilians

• Developments during the Obama Admin

• U.S. laws governing arms transfers

• Policy recommendations

BACKGROUND ON MILITARY AID TO ISRAEL

Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns Signs MOU with Israel, Aug. 2007

From 1949-2007, more than $101 billion in total U.S. aid to Israel Previous Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) phased out economic aid and increased military aid between FY1999-2008 Current MOU to increase military aid to $30 billion from FY2009-2018, average increase of 25% President’s FY2010 budget request for $2.775 billion in FMF

ARMS TRANSFERS TO ISRAEL DURING THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION

Jebalya Refugee Camp, Gaza Strip after

September-October 2004 attack by Israel.

Foreign Military Sales (FMS):$25,203,000,000

Direct Commercial Sales (DCS):$6,161,109,945

Excess Defense Articles (EDA):$36,048,510

Total: $31,400,158,455

FOREIGN MILITARY SALES (FMS)

Air

Missiles,Munitions

Naval

Design

Vehicles

Miscellaneous

Air, $19.81 billion: F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, C-130J-30 Aircraft, JP-8 Aviation Jet Fuel, T-6A Texan AircraftMissiles & Munitions, $2.726 billion: GBU-28 & 39 Small Diameter Bombs, TOW, Hellfire, Bunker Defeat Munitions, AMRAAM, Harpoon, Sidewinder, JDAM’s, MK-80 series

Naval, $1.9 billion: Littoral Combat ShipsDesign, $350 million: Construction of infantry basesVehicles, $164 million: Troop carrier armored vehicles, TrucksMiscellaneous, $253 million: Patriot Missile Upgrade, M72A7 Light Anti-Armor Weapons

DIRECT COMMERCIAL SALES (DCS)

Top Ten Categories, FY2001-2006

1. Aircraft spare parts, $557,895,988

2. Missile spare parts, $448,435,429

3. Engine jet F-100 spare parts, $439,172,281

4. Engine jet F-100 series (F-15, F-16), $254,240,643

5. Aircraft fighter, F-16 spare parts, $209,766,607

6. Ship components and spare parts, $197,708,382

7. Aircraft fighter, F-15 spare parts, $186,171,596

8. Electronics components and spare parts, $163,279,072

9. Ammunition raw materials, $127,709,376

10.Training equipment, $120,028,890

EXCESS DEFENSE ARTICLES (EDA)

CobraHelicopters

PersonnelCarriers

CarrierCommand Post

Miscellaneous

PALESTINIAN CIVILIAN FATALITIES

From January 2001-November 2008, Israel killed 2,086 Palestinian civilians not taking part in hostilities, of whom 723 were children under 18.

Data taken from B’tselem: The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories.

PALESTINIAN CIVILIAN FATALITIES

Gunfire

Helicopter

Tank

Fighter Jet

House Demolition

Explosion

APC

Miscellaneous

Gunfire: Bullets, Fletchettes, Grenades, Live Ammo, Missiles, Rubber-Coated Bullets, Shells, Other

Total: 1,232 Children: 425

Helicopter: Missiles, Other

Total: 458 Children: 134

Tank: Bullets, Fletchettes, Live Ammo, Missiles, Shells, Other

Total: 275 Children: 121

Fighter Jet: Bombs, Missiles, Other

Total: 28 Children: 16

House Demolition: Bombs, Other

Total: 21 Children: 7

Explosion: Bombs, Booby-Trapped Cars, Shells

Total: 7 Children: 6

Armored Personnel Carriers: Live Ammo, Other

Total: 5 Children: 3

Miscellaneous: Beatings, Fires, Hit by Vehicles, Shelling, Tear Gas, Other

Total: 60 Children: 11

‘OPERATION CAST LEAD’, DEC. 2008-JAN. 2009

1,387 Palestinians killed* 773 didn’t take part in hostilities* 248 civilian police officers* 330 took part in hostilities* 36 undetermined

(Source: B’Tselem, Sept. 2009)

More than 5,500 Palestinians injured

4,000 buildings destroyed, $2 billion in damage to civilian infrastructure

U.S. Weapons Used by Israel

•F-16 and Apache helicopter gunshipsMore than $300 million in spare parts (2001-2006)

•JP-8 Aviation Jet Fuel186 million gallons in July 2008

•Naval combat ships$1.9 billion in littoral combat ships in July 2008

•TOW, Hellfire, “bunker buster missiles”$1.3 billion deal with Raytheon in October 2007

•GBU-39 small diameter bombs$77 million deal with Boeing in September 2008

•Tanks, APCs, Vehicles, Night-Vision Goggles$450 million since 2001

•M825A1155mm white phosphorous shells

DEVELOPMENTS DURING THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION

Netanyahu, Obama, Abbas in New York, September 2009

•Delivery of more than 300 containers of weapons to Israel, Mar. 2009

• FY2010 budget request for $2.775 billion in military aid to Israel, Apr. 2009

• Goldstone Report “unbalanced, one sided and basically unacceptable,” Sept. 2009

• House passes H.Res.867, 344-36 condemning Goldstone Report, Nov. 2009

U.S. LAWS GOVERNING ARMS TRANSFERS

Arms Export Control Act (P.L.80-829): Weapons are limited to “internal security” and “legitimate self-defense” only.

Foreign Assistance Act (P.L.97-195): “No assistance may be provided…to the government of any country which engages in a consistent pattern of gross violations of internationally recognized human rights.”

“Leahy Law” (Foreign Ops Appropriations Act): No aid to “any unit of the security forces of a foreign country if the Secretary of State has credible evidence that such unit has committed gross violations of human rights.”

POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Future military aid to Israel should be considered from moral, legal, and political perspectives. Is Israel using U.S. weapons for “legitimate self-defense”? Why should U.S. taxpayers be complicit in the deaths of Palestinian civilians? How do these arms transfers promote a just peace between Israelis and Palestinians? How do these arms transfers promote U.S. goals of stopping settlements and ending the siege of Gaza?

2. Israel must be held accountable for its violations of the Arms Export Control Act. Congress must adhere to the provisions of the laws it enacts. Members of Congress should support Rep. Kucinich’s demand for a State Department investigation and make sure it is done completely and accurately.

3. Congress must condition future appropriations to protect innocent Palestinians from being killed by U.S. weapons. FY2011 Foreign Operations appropriations bill should include loan guarantee language. Funds appropriated may be used "only to support activities in the geographic areas which were subject to the administration of the Government of Israel before June 5, 1967."

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