AFSC: Våpenselskaper som forsyner Israel

AFSC med oversikt over våpenselskaper som forsyner Israel

Selskapene som er oppført i denne oversikten fra American Friends Service Committee har gitt Israel våpen og annet militært utstyr brukt i angrepene på Gaza, Vestbredden, Libanon og Syria mellom oktober 2023 og januar 2024. Vi har koblet deres liste, se https://afsc.org/companies-2023-attack-gaza, med Oljefondets investeringer, og fant 19 selskaper. Totale investeringer i disse selskapene er 111 milliarder NOK.

The companies listed here have provided Israel with weapons and other military equipment used in its attacks on Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, and Syria between October 2023 and January 2024.

AFSC Action Center for Corporate Accountability

Since October, 2023, Israel has waged unprecedented aerial and ground attacks on Gaza after Hamas-led attacks on Israel. Tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza have been killed at a historic pace, mostly unarmed civilians, and most of the Gaza population has been displaced. These attacks may amount to a genocide, according to a preliminary ruling by the International Court of Justice, a U.S. federal court, as well as dozens of U.N. experts and legal scholars. Israel’s attacks in Gaza have been accompanied by a surge of Israeli violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, clashes between the Israeli military and militant groups in Lebanon, and Israeli aerial strikes in Syria.

Shortly after Oct. 7, the U.S. government started transferring massive amounts of weapons to Israel. By Dec. 25, Israel received more than 10,000 tons of weapons in 244 cargo planes and 20 ships from the U.S. These transfers included more than 15,000 bombs and 50,000 artillery shells within just the first month and a half. These transfers have been deliberately shrouded in secrecy to avoid public scrutiny and prevent Congress from exercising any meaningful oversight. Between October and the beginning of March, the U.S. approved more than 100 military sales to Israel, but publicly disclosed only two sales. A list of known U.S. arms transfers is maintained by the Forum on the Arms Trade.

Much of these weapons were purchased using U.S. taxpayers’ money through the Foreign Military Sales program, while some were direct commercial sales purchased through Israel’s own budget.  An undisclosed amount of weapons was also transferred from U.S. military stockpiles already stored in Israel, known as War Reserves Stock Allies-Israel (WRSA-I). The use of WRSA-I to provide Israel with weapons serves to further obfuscate the full picture of U.S. arms transfers, as there is no public record of these stockpiles’ inventory.

The scale of destruction and war crimes in Gaza would not be possible without this continued flow of weapons from the U.S. Despite massive public protests, the Biden administration has been working to give Israel over $14 billion to buy more weapons. This is on top of the $3.8 billion the U.S. already gives to the Israeli military annually. Israel is required to use this money to buy U.S.-made weapons. This is a form of corporate welfare not only for the largest weapons manufacturers, like Lockheed Martin, RTX, Boeing, and General Dynamics, which have seen their stock prices skyrocket, but also for companies that are not typically seen as part of the weapons industry, such as Caterpillar, Ford, and Toyota (see below).

As a Quaker organization with a long history of work in Palestine and Israel, including in Gaza, AFSC supports a full arms embargo to both Israeli and Palestinian militant groups. This list focuses on weapons used by Israel because all Palestinian militant groups are already sanctioned and receive no support from Western governments or corporations.

This research relies on media sources, social media, and other open sources. Information was also collected by Who Profits and the Database of Israeli Military and Security Export. a project of the Israeli organization New Profile. We welcome any additional information, please contact us.

For a more comprehensive list of publicly traded companies that are involved in the Israeli occupation, accompanied by our divestment recommendations, refer to our Investigate database.

Companies

AeroVironment

• A military drone manufacturer headquartered in Arlington, Virginia.
• Around Oct. 30, Israel requested to purchase 200 AeroVironment Switchblade 600 Kamikaze drones, an advanced direct fire loitering missile system that acts as a “suicide drone.”
• For more information on this company (not including these latest developments), see our company profile on the Investigate database.

Caterpillar

• For decades, Caterpillar has been supplying Israel with the D9 armored bulldozer, which the Israeli military routinely uses to demolish Palestinian homes and civilian infrastructure in the occupied West Bank and to enforce the blockade of the Gaza Strip.
• Armored D9 bulldozers have been crucial for Israel’s ground invasion of the Gaza Strip, accompanying combat troops and paving their way by clearing roads and demolishing buildings.
• D9 bulldozers were also used in raids of Palestinian cities in the occupied West Bank, including Jenin and Tulkarem, where a bulldozer was used to destroy a memorial to former Palestinian president Yasser Arafat. Deliberate destruction of cultural heritage sites during an armed conflict can constitute a war crime.
• On Dec. 16, Israeli bulldozers were reportedly «running over and crushing displaced people inside their tents in Beit Lahia’s Kamal Adwan Hospital courtyard,» killing several people in the process.
• In February, Caterpillar bulldozers and other heavy machinery participated in building a new road that runs across the Gaza Strip from east to west, designed to facilitate Israeli long-term «logistical and military control in the region.»
• Israel placed an urgent order for dozens of additional D9 armored bulldozers after Oct. 7.
• Some of Israel’s D9T bulldozers have been converted into remote-controlled or semi-autonomous vehicles so that they can operate without a driver in «complex,» «high-risk areas.» In November, Israel Aerospace Industries, the company that converts the bulldozers, modified more units for the Israeli military for its operations in Gaza.
• For more information on this company (not including these latest developments), see our company profile on the Investigate database.

Ford Motor Company

• A U.S. automaker whose commercial pickup trucks are armored and retrofitted for the Israeli military by AM General (see above), Oshkosh (see below), and Plasan (see below).
• The Ford Super Duty F-350 XL pickup truck, for example, serves as the basis of Plasan’s SandCat light armored vehicle. On Dec. 6, a U.S. cargo plane delivered SandCat vehicles to Israel.
• For more information on this company (not including these latest developments), see our company profile on the Investigate database.

General Dynamics

• The world’s sixth largest weapons manufacturer, General Dynamics, supplies Israel with artillery ammunition and bombs for attack jets used in Israel’s assault on Gaza.
• The company developed the F-16 fighter jet, although it has been manufactured by Lockheed Martin since 1993.
• General Dynamics is the only company in the U.S. that makes the metal bodies of the MK-80 bomb series, the primary weapon type Israel uses to bomb Gaza. The bodies of the bombs are filled with explosives by the U.S. military, and then can be made into a guided bomb using Boeing‘s JDAM kits.
• It is also the only company in the U.S. that makes 155mm caliber artillery shells, which have been used extensively to attack Gaza. One source reported that, by Nov. 25, one Israeli brigade fired some 10,000 such shells using BAE’s M109 howitzer.
• 155mm shells have been part of the U.S.’s recent weapons shipments to Israel. The U.S. is planning to send “tens of thousands of 155mm artillery shells that had been destined for Ukraine” to Israel. Their use by Israel, according to Oxfam, is “virtually assured to be indiscriminate, unlawful, and devastating to civilians in Gaza.” On Nov. 13, more than 30 organizations issued a letter opposing the transfer.
• General Dynamics also partnered with Flyer Defense (see above) to develop an armored patrol vehicle that Israel is testing.
• On an Oct. 25 call with investors, General Dynamics CFO, Jason Aiken, said, “I think if you look at the incremental demand potential coming out of [the attacks on Gaza], the biggest one to highlight and that really sticks out is probably on the artillery side.”
• General Dynamics is based outside of Washington, D.C., in Fairfax, Virginia. For more locations, see this map.
• For more information on this company (not including these latest developments), see our company profile on the Investigate database.

General Electric

• The world’s 25th largest weapons manufacturer, General Electric manufactures T700 Turboshaft engines for Boeing’s Apache helicopters.
• GE is headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut.
• For more information on this company (not including these latest developments), see our company profile on the Investigate database.

General Motors

• Provides engines and transmission units for multiple vehicles used by the Israeli military, including the Flyer 72 (see above) and all-terrain vehicles of the Z-series, made by IAI (see below). Israel buys GM parts using U.S. taxpayers’ money, even for vehicles made in Israel.
• For more information on this company (not including these latest developments), see our company profile on the Investigate database.

HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (Hyundai)

• The world’s largest shipbuilding company and a major heavy equipment manufacturer, Hyundai makes track excavators and other machinery that have been used to demolish Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank.
• On Jan. 3, for example, a Hyundai excavator was used to demolish a Palestinian family’s home in Jabel Mukaber, a predominantly Palestinian neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem.
• For more information on this company (not including these latest developments), see our company profile on the Investigate database.

L3Harris Technologies

• The world’s ninth largest weapons manufacturer, L3Harris manufactures components that are integrated into multiple weapons systems used by the Israeli military in Gaza, including Boeing‘s JDAM kits (see above), Lockheed Martin’s F-35 warplane (see below), Northrop Grumman‘s Sa’ar 5 warships (see below), ThyssenKrupp’s Sa’ar 6 warships (see below), and Israel’s Merkava battle tanks.
• For more information on this company (not including these latest developments), see our company profile on the Investigate database.

Leonardo

• Italy’s largest weapons manufacturer, Leonardo makes the Oto Melara 76/62 Super Rapid 76mm naval guns installed on the Israeli Navy’s Sa’ar warships. Israel’s newest warship, the Sa’ar 6, was used operationally for the first time on Oct. 16, 2023, firing at targets in Gaza using Leonardo’s gun.
• On Dec. 27, Leonardo subsidiary DRS Sustainment Systems, based in St. Louis, was awarded a $15.4 million contract for manufacturing heavy-duty tank trailers for Israel. The contract is funded by U.S. taxpayers’ money and is estimated to be completed in December 2026.
• For more information on this company, see our company profile on the Investigate database.

Mercedes-Benz Group AG

A German automaker that, in November, expedited the delivery of 112 Arocs trucks to the Israeli military, which uses them to transport its Merkava tanks as well as other heavy armored vehicles and bulldozers. The Israeli military chose Mercedes as its main supplier of tank transporters in 2022 and ordered a total of 460 trucks, customized for its needs.

NextVision

An Israeli startup that manufactures cameras for weapons systems. Its cameras are installed, for example, on drones manufactured by major weapons companies like Elbit Systems (see above), Israel Aerospace Industries (see above), and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems (see below) and used in Israel’s attacks on Gaza. The company has experienced increased sales during Israel’s attacks on Gaza and decided to prioritize Israeli orders even though most of its clients are not in Israel. The company’s CEO has stated that «wars are good for business.»

Nordic Ammunition Company (Nammo)

• The maker of the M141 Bunker Defeat Munition, a shoulder-fired «bunker-buster» rocket used by the Israeli military in Gaza. As of the end of October, the U.S. has delivered 1,800 out of a requested 3,000 M141 shoulder-fired rocket launchers to Israel.
• These rockets are made in the U.S., at the Nammo Talley factory in Mesa, Arizona. However, Nammo Talley’s parent company, Nammo, is headquartered in Norway and co-owned by the Norwegian government and Finnish company Patria Oyj. The latter is co-owned by the government of Finland (50.1%) and Norwegian company Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (49.9%), which is part of Kongsberg Gruppen (FRA: KOZ).

Oshkosh

• A specialty truck manufacturer headquartered in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, Oshkosh manufactures the hulls for the Eitan, Israel’s newest armored personnel carrier, which was used operationally for the first time in the ground invasion of Gaza.
• Oshkosh also makes the trucks that Israel converts into the Panther, an armored personnel carrier used extensively in the occupied West Bank.
• On Dec. 7, the Israeli military captured dozens of Palestinians in Gaza and transported them to Israel for interrogation. Individuals were stripped down to their underwear and publicly humiliated for hours, potentially in violation of international humanitarian law. At least some were transported in Oshkosh Medium Tactical Vehicles. While Israeli media claimed that these individuals were all members of Hamas, the Israeli military later admitted that the vast majority were civilians.
• In addition, Israel acquired 75 Oshkosh Joint Light Tactical Vehicles in November, to be delivered until Sept. 2025. The initial $208 million order was funded by U.S. taxpayers’ money. A subsequent modification to the original contract was partially funded by U.S. taxpayers’ money, while the rest was funded through Israel’s own budget. This order by Israel will keep Oshkosh’s JLTVs in production until 2025, longer than the company had originally planned.
• For more information on this company (not including these latest developments), see our company profile on the Investigate database.

Palantir Technologies

• A Denver-based high-tech mass surveillance company that has been providing its AI-powered tools to the Israeli security forces as well as the U.S. military, immigration authorities, and police departments.
• Since Oct. 7, it has been «seeing high demand from Israel for new tools,» and has been providing Israel with more products than before. In January, it entered a «strategic partnership» with Israel’s Ministry of Defense to «help the country’s war effort.» Palantir CEO Alex Karp said in November, «I am proud that we are supporting Israel in every way we can.»
• For more information on this company (not including these latest developments), see our company profile on the Investigate database.

Rheinmetall AG

Germany’s largest weapons manufacturer, which is providing Israel with 10,000 rounds of 120mm precision tank ammunition. Israel made the request in November, and Germany reportedly considered speeding up delivery of the ammunition by providing it from its own military’s existing stockpiles while ordering more from Rheinmetall.

Rolls-Royce Holdings plc

• Rolls-Royce Holdings is the world’s 25th largest weapons manufacturer. It is no longer associated with Rolls-Royce cars, which have been manufactured by BMW since 1998.
• The company’s German subsidiary MTU developed the engines for Israel’s Merkava 4 and 5 (Barak) battle tanks. Israel has used these tanks extensively in the Gaza Strip, including in its November attacks on the Shifa Hospital and the Indonesian Hospital.
• MTU’s engines also power Israel’s Namer Armored Personnel Carrier, which is based on the Merkava tank, and the newer and lighter Eitan Armored Fighting Vehicle, both of which have also been used extensively in Gaza.
• Israel’s 2023 ground invasion of Gaza marked the first operational use of the Merkava 5 (Barak) tank and the Eitan AFV.
• MTU also makes most of the engines for the Israeli Navy’s ships.
• While MTU is headquartered in Germany, the engines that it provides to the Israeli military are made in Michigan using U.S. taxpayers’ money by German company Renk (see above).

RTX (formerly Raytheon)

• The world’s second largest weapons manufacturer and largest producer of guided missiles, RTX supplies the Israeli Air Force with guided air-to-surface missiles for its F-16 fighter jets, as well as cluster bombs and bunker busters, which have consistently been used against Gaza’s civilian population and infrastructure.
• RTX subsidiary Pratt & Whitney manufactures engines for F-15 and F-16 fighter jets.
• As part of a joint venture with Israeli state-owned weapons manufacturer Rafael, RTX makes interceptors for Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system, which have been part of the U.S.’s recent weapons shipments to Israel.
• On an Oct. 24 call with investors, RTX CEO, Greg Hayes, said, “I think really across the entire Raytheon portfolio, you’re going to see a benefit of this restocking.”
• RTX moved is headquarters from Waltham, Massachusetts to Arlington, Virginia in 2022. For more locations, see this map.
• For more information on this company (not including these latest developments), see our company profile on the Investigate database.

ThyssenKrupp

A German engineering company that built the Israeli Navy’s four Sa’ar 6 warships, which were used for the first time on Oct. 16 against targets in Gaza.

Toyota

A Japanese auto maker that manufactures the pickup trucks used by the Israeli military as the basis for the David Urban Light Armored Vehicle (see MDT Armor above).

 Woodward

A Colorado-based manufacturer of control systems for engines, turbines, and industrial equipment. A picture posted on Oct. 23, of «the aftermath caused by a missile» that was allegedly fired on Gaza, shows a component with Woodward’s name and logo. Woodward makes fin control actuation systems for multiple missiles and guided bombs that Israel uses, including JDAM kits, Small Diameter Bombs, and AIM-9X Sidewinder.

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