Al Jazeera Traces U.S.-Israel Arms Deals From John F. Kennedy to Netanyahu

An Al Jazeera report on Israel’s weaponry traced the U.S.-Israel relationship to 1962, when former U.S. President John F. Kennedy agreed to sale defensive missiles to Israel, and said the deals began as loans with interest before their nature was changed later.

“(New York) — United Nations member states should take advantage of the ministerial conference on Palestine, to be held on July 28 and 29, to publicly commit to taking concrete steps to end decades of impunity for violations of international humanitarian law and human rights committed by Israeli authorities against Palestinians, Human Rights Watch said today”

Human Rights Watch

The report said that in 1973, Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir requested urgent assistance after Israel’s defeat in the early days of the Yom Kippur War, and that Congress approved an emergency package totaling $2.2 billion along with thousands of tons of military equipment.

Human Rights Watch

It added that Congress converted $1.5 billion of that package into an outright grant after the war ended, and that in the 1980s inflation reached 400% as the Reagan administration transformed military aid from loans into non-repayable grants.

Al Jazeera said the current agreement peaked at $38 billion, or $3.8 billion per year, scheduled through 2028, and that with the outbreak of the Gaza offensive in 2023 Congress approved an additional $14.1 billion, bringing the total poured into Tel Aviv during the two-year war to about $21.7 billion.

The report also said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court, continues to seek to amend the existing agreement to extend it to twenty years instead of ten amid rising questions about whether unconditional U.S. support has begun to change.

Ouest-France said three international leaders, including Emmanuel Macron, warned Israel on Monday, May 19, 2025, by invoking threats of 'concrete measures' if Israel does not end the new military offensive and lifts its restrictions on humanitarian aid.

The same article reported that on Tuesday, May 20, the minister of Europe and foreign affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot, threatened to suspend an association agreement between Israel and the European Union, warning on France Inter that 'Neither Israel nor the European Union has an interest in ending this agreement.'

Mondoweiss

Ouest-France also described diplomatic options, including a call by the number one of the Communist Party, Fabien Roussel, on Tuesday, May 20 on RTL, for recalling the French ambassador to Israel.

It further said France could act in the legal domain by supporting more strongly the International Criminal Court regarding investigations into war crimes committed in Gaza, noting that since November the ICC has issued an arrest warrant against Benjamin Netanyahu.

The piece added that Dominique de Villepin called for an 'arms embargo by all European countries' concerning Israel and cited France’s sales since 2014 of 211.7 million euros worth of military equipment to Israel, including 25.6 million in 2022 and 19.9 million in 2023.

Human Rights Watch said UN member states should take advantage of a ministerial conference on Palestine to be held on July 28 and 29 to commit to concrete steps to end decades of impunity for violations of international humanitarian law and human rights committed by Israeli authorities against Palestinians.

“The French president and the British and Canadian prime ministers promised they would not stand with their arms crossed in the face of their Israeli counterpart's actions in Gaza”

Ouest-France

In a statement carried by Human Rights Watch, Bruno Stagno said it is essential that governments address the grave abuses by Israel by committing to take concrete steps with time-bound deadlines, including targeted sanctions, arms embargoes, the suspension of preferential trade agreements, and a clear commitment to supporting the execution of all arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court.

HRW said the conference follows an advisory opinion issued in July 2024 by the International Court of Justice, which held that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories is illegal and constitutes a 'violation of the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination.'

The organization also said the ICC issued arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister for war crimes and crimes against humanity, and that states parties to the Genocide Convention have an obligation to 'use all means reasonably available' to prevent genocide.

HRW framed the conference as taking place against ongoing hostilities in Gaza, and said it is backed by ICJ orders directing Israel to take 'provisional measures' in the case brought by South Africa.