Western Arms Companies Profit Billions from Killing Palestinians

Over the course of 15 months of the genocidal war waged by the Israeli occupation authorities against Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria, Western arms companies—especially American ones—threw open their doors to supply the most lethal instruments of war devised by Western military industries. These weapons have been used to massacre children, women, and the elderly.

Alongside Israel, the United States and European nations bear responsibility for the destruction of Gaza and the killing of its people. Arms companies in these countries saw an opportunity for massive profits and began supplying Israel with weapons, reaping hundreds of millions of dollars in return.

In his report for The Nation, American journalist Spencer Ackerman highlighted a portion of the U.S. military support for the occupation forces, confirming that more than $12.5 billion in U.S. military aid was provided to Israel from October 7 until the seventh month of last year.

According to the independent Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, the United States was responsible for 34% of all global arms exports between 2014 and 2018. By 2023, this figure had risen to 42%, with about 38% of U.S. arms exports during that period directed to the Middle East. Israel alone accounted for 3.6% of these exports and sourced 69% of its imported weaponry from Washington.

Western countries are responsible for the destruction of Gaza and must be held accountable. They should be compelled in international courts to rebuild the sector and provide a dignified life for the two million people displaced by the Israeli military’s war machine.

Additionally, these countries should pay financial compensation to the victims’ families and the displaced, while ensuring medical treatment for the wounded and affected—either by establishing large hospitals in Gaza or evacuating the injured to European nations for treatment in their healthcare facilities.

European nations were quick to embrace Ukrainian refugees, rushing to provide humanitarian, medical, and financial aid, and housing them in luxurious accommodations. This highlights the West’s double standards in dealing with refugees based on their nationality and country of origin. Notably, Western nations are the primary culprits in Gaza’s devastation, given their unconditional support for the occupation forces and their facilitation of a full-scale genocide against Palestinians.

The United States and the European Union are responsible for fueling wars and crises in the Arab region, bearing full accountability for the high number of casualties. Consequently, they are obligated to provide aid, rebuild, and reconstruct—not only in Palestine but also in Lebanon.

The Western world claims to be threatened by Islamic groups, while at the same time, it fuels religious, ethnic, and sectarian conflicts in the Global South. It also actively fosters Islamic extremism by sheltering terrorist leaders whom it has created and manipulated to serve its own interests.