The announcement by Tánaiste Micheál Martin on Thursday that Ireland will no longer buy Israeli military equipment will not cause many sleepless nights in Tel Aviv.
Israel operates a vast arms industry. Last year, it exported a record €13 billion worth of military equipment, up €500 million on the previous year, despite its invasion of Gaza. Irish purchases represent a minuscule proportion of that.
However, despite the relatively small volumes involved, the Irish Defence Forces has long relied on Israeli-made military equipment to fufil its various roles and it has been a regular customer of its arms companies for decades now.
This relationship has continued even amid periods of poor relations between the two countries, such as when Ireland expelled an Israeli diplomat in 2010 in protest over Mossad agents using Irish passports during an assassination operation.
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In the mid-2000s, the state-owned Israeli Military Industries was the main supplier of rifle ammunition to the Defence Forces. Around the same time, another Israeli company, Rabintex Industries, was the sole supplier of helmets to Irish soldiers, having won a €2.5 million contract.
Purchases have also included more high-tech equipment, including surveillance equipment for light armoured vehicles, ground radar systems and artillery fire control systems.
The purchases have sometimes included highly specialised equipment, such as the Cornershot, an Israeli-made device which allows users to aim and fire their weapons around corners. The Defence Forces’ Army Ranger Wing have purchased a number of these.
In the last 20 years, the Irish Department of Defence has awarded well in excess of €20 million worth of military contracts to Israeli companies, including to companies directly owned by the government.
In many ways, it should be no surprise that Ireland has often turned to Israel for its military equipment. As a small country surrounded by often hostile nations, Israel has had many opportunities to test and hone its weapons in real-world operations.
More recently, much of that testing has taken place at the expense of civilians in Gaza and the West Bank.
This is particularly the case in relation to drones, or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). Israel is considered a world leader in the development of military drones and has used them extensively in Gaza since October. In the past, Ireland has been keen to avail of that expertise.
Over the last decade, Ireland has paid in excess of €4.5 million to Aeronautics Defence Industries (ADI), another Israeli state-owned company, for surveillance drones, specifically the advanced Orbiter 2 drone which it uses for reconnaissance and surveillance.
This includes a nearly €300,000-a-year maintenance contract. Department of Defence records show the most recent payment to ADI was €590,000 earlier this year.
Israel companies had also been considered a potential bidder for a new €600,000 contract for 14 small rotary drones for the Defence Forces Corps of Engineers. The Tánaiste’s remarks on Thursday means Irish military purchasers will now have to shop elsewhere.
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