Amnesty International
AI Index: MDE 15/012/200923 February 2009
Fuelling conflict: Foreign
arms supplies to Israel/Gaza
Both Israel and Hamas used weapons supplied from abroad to carry out attackson civilians. This briefing contains fresh evidence on the munitions used duringthe three-week conflict in Gaza and southern Israel and includes information on
the supplies of arms to all parties to the conflict. It explains why AmnestyInternational is calling for a cessation of arms supplies to the parties to theconflict and calling on the United Nations to impose a comprehensive armsembargo.
Contents
Amnesty International..................1
Contents...............................1
Introduction...........................2
Misuse of conventional arms by Israeli forces...3
Unlawful use of indiscriminate rockets by Hamas and other Palestinian
armed groups..........................16
Arms supplies to Israel ..............18
Arms supplies to Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups...33
Recommendations.......................35
Appendix Two: US Foreign Military Sales Fuel Contracts for Israeli
government 2002-2008.................42
AI Index: MDE 15/012/2009 Amnesty International
Introduction
With fragile ceasefires now in place in Gaza and southern Israel, the full extent ofthe devastation caused in recent weeks is becoming increasingly clear. AmnestyInternational researchers visiting Gaza and southern Israel during and after thefighting found evidence of war crimes and other serious violations of internationallaw by all parties to the conflict.
In the three weeks following the start of the Israeli military offensive on 27December, Israeli forces killed more than 1,300 Palestinians in Gaza, includingmore than 300 children and many other civilians, and injured over 5,000 otherPalestinians, again including many civilians. Israeli forces also destroyedthousands of homes and other property and caused significant damage to theinfrastructure of Gaza, causing a worsening of the humanitarian crisis arisingfrom the 18-month blockade maintained by Israel. Some of the Israelibombardments and other attacks were directed at civilians or civilian buildings inthe Gaza Strip; others were disproportionate or indiscriminate. AmnestyInternational has found indisputable evidence that Israeli forces used whitephosphorus, which has a highly incendiary effect, in densely populated residentialareas in Gaza, putting the Palestinian civilian population at high risk. Israeliforcesf use of artillery and other non-precision weapons in densely-populatedresidential areas increased the risk, and the harm done, to the civilian population.
During the same period, Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups continued tofire indiscriminate rockets into residential areas of southern Israel, killing threecivilians.
Direct attacks on civilians and civilian objects, disproportionate attacks andindiscriminate attacks are war crimes.
Amnesty International is calling on the United Nations, and the Security Council(SC) in particular, to establish an immediate independent investigation intoallegations of war crimes and other serious violations of international law
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committed by all sides to the conflict and for those found responsible to bebrought to justice in order to ensure accountability. The organization notes andwelcomes the investigation established by the UN Secretary-General into attackson UN installations in Gaza but considers this insufficient, and that anindependent international investigation must be held into all allegations of warcrimes and other violations of international law by all the parties to the conflict inGaza and southern Israel. As well, Amnesty International is calling on the UN,
notably the Security Council, to impose an immediate, comprehensive armsembargo on all parties to the conflict, and on all states to take action individuallyto impose national embargoes on any arms or weapons transfers to the parties tothe conflict until there is no longer a substantial risk that such arms or weaponscould be used to commit serious violations of international law.
Amnesty International is deeply concerned that weaponry, munitions and othermilitary equipment supplied to Israel have been used by Israeli armed forces tocarry out direct attacks on civilians and civilian objects in Gaza, and attackswhich were disproportionate or indiscriminate. Amnesty International is alsoconcerned that Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups have been firingindiscriminate rockets, supplied or constructed of materials supplied from outsideGaza, at civilian population centres in southern Israel.
Misuse of conventional arms by Israeli forces
Hundreds of civilians taking no part in the hostilities, including over 300 childrenand more than 100 civilian police cadets who were not directly participating inthe hostilities, were killed in attacks by Israeli forces against the Gaza Strip.
Civilian homes and other buildings, including medical facilities, schools and auniversity, were also damaged or destroyed by Israeli air strikes and artillery andother attacks . artillery is an area weapon, not one that can be used with pinpointaccuracy, and so should never be used in densely-populated civilian areas.
Amnesty International researchers, including a weapons expert, found variousfragments and components from munitions used by the Israeli army during thethree-week military offensive launched on 27 December. They include fragmentsof artillery shells (white phosphorus, high explosive and illuminating), tank shells, mortar fins, highly incendiary white phosphorus-impregnated felt wedges, antitank
mines and a range of live and spent bullets casings of various calibres including 7.62 mm, 5.56 mm and the larger .50 calibre.
The information below describes the types of munitions and military equipmentused during the conflict that Amnesty International has documented, including incircumstances which violate international humanitarian law and, in some cases,
Amnesty International AI Index: MDE 15/012/2009 may amount to war crimes. Amnesty International called on the Israeli authoritiesto disclose the weapons used by their forces in Gaza so that medical staff wouldbe adequately informed to treat victims of the conflict.
Air delivered munitions
Amnesty International found remnants of air-delivered munitions . ranging fromfragments of 20mm cannon and Hellfire and other missiles fired from helicoptersand unmanned drones, to large fragments of large laser-guided and other bombsdropped from F-16 warplanes, as well as pieces of rocket motors, circuit boardsand other electrical components of the missiles. Fragments from thesebombardments are all over Gaza - on the streets, in school playgrounds, inhospitals and in peoplefs homes. Fragments from one 500lb bomb contained theinscription eFor use on MK-82 fin guided bombf and the markings 96214 ASSY837760-4. The cage code 96214 indicates that this fin was produced by the UScompany Raytheon. A US government solicitation notice dated 22 October 2001for ebomb spare partsf included AFG Fin, Raytheon part number 837760-4.1
1 See solicitation , number N00164-02-Q-0017 athttp://www.fbodaily.com/cbd/archive//2001/10(October)/24-Oct-2001/99sol003.htm Last accessed 10 February 2009.
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Fragments from a MK-82 bomb cAmnesty International
By the rubble of the American School in Gaza, Amnesty International delegatesspoke to the father of the school guard, Mahmoud Mohammed Selmi Abu Qleiq, who was killed when Israeli F16 aircraft bombed the school campus. Hundreds ofhomes were completely destroyed as a result of bombardments by F-16 aircraft.
At the northern end of the al-Shati (Beach) refugee camp in Gaza City, AmnestyInternational visited the Abu eEisha family. Five members of the family - threechildren and their parents - were killed on the night of 5 January, when an Israeliaircraft dropped a bomb which struck and partially destroyed the house. Thefollowing day, 6 January, another Israeli F-16 bombardment killed 23 members ofthe al-Daya family, most of them children and women, as they slept in their homein the Zaytoun district of Gaza City. When Amnesty International delegatesvisited the ruins of the house two weeks later, several of the dead were stilltrapped under the huge pile of rubble.
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Anti-Tank Mines
An Israeli anti-tank mine with Hebrew markings cAmnesty International
On Wednesday 28 January, at the home of the Mardi family in Atatra, where 20members of the family lived, Amnesty International delegates found one of theanti-tank mines that was used by Israeli soldiers to blow up the familyfs house on4 January. The mine was damaged but had failed to explode. The family said thatthey had found another such mine, wholly unexploded, which had been removedby the local police. The mine, like others - exploded and unexploded - found by AIdelegates in the rubble of other destroyed houses, bore Hebrew writing and serialnumbers. Though designed for use against tanks, these mines are easily adaptedto other purposes through the addition of an explosive charge and fuse. Israelisoldiers have previously confirmed to Amnesty International that these anti-tankmines have long been used to destroy Palestinian houses, most often in the WestBank but also in Gaza.
Artillery and Mortars
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During the three-week military campaign Israeli forces made extensive use ofartillery including 155mm white phosphorus shells (see below White Phosphorus) in residential areas, causing death and injuries to civilians. Homes, schools, medical facilities and UN buildings . all civilian objects - took direct hits fromIsraeli artillery shelling. Artillery shells are for use on conventional battlefieldsand are not capable of pinpoint targeting. Yet in Gaza they were fired intodensely-populated civilian residential areas.
In an UNRWA primary school in Beit Lahia, where 1,600 people were shelteringfrom the fighting, an artillery carrier shell hit a classroom on the second floorwhere 35 people were sleeping at 6am on 17 January. Two brothers, aged five andseven, were killed and 14 others were injured, including the boysf mother, whoseleg had to be amputated. Two days after the incident Amnesty Internationaldelegates found remains of 155 mm white phosphorus artillery shells and stillsmouldering remains of white phosphorus at the school.
Eleven days earlier, on 6 January, mortar shells fired by Israeli forces had landedin the street outside another UNRWA school in Jabalia, killing at least 41 people, among them 10 members of one family.
White Phosphorus
There is evidence that white phosphorus was used by Israeli forces across Gaza.
Amnesty International came across many white phosphorus 155mm artillerycarrier shells throughout Gaza with markings M825 A1 . a US-made munition.
These are the same markings of the 155mm white phosphorus shellsphotographed in Israeli Defense Forcesf (IDF) stockpiles (see section Arms supplies to Israel below).
Several white phosphorus artillery shells hit the UNRWA field operationsheadquarters in Gaza City on 15 January, causing a large fire which destroyedtens of tons of humanitarian aid, including, medicines, food and other non-fooditems.2 Amnesty International delegates who visited the site found the marking
2 The Humanitarian Monitor, UN OCHA, January 2009:
http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/ocha_opt_humanitarian_monitor_2009_01_15_english.pdf
- eUNRWA: IDF Shelled Warehouse with White Phosphorusf, IsraelNN.com, 15 January 2009,
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/129445;
- eUN headquarters in Gaza hit by Israeli 'white phosphorus' shellsf, Timesonline, 15 January,
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article5521925.ece
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PB-91K018-035 on the fragments of one of the artillery shells which is the lotnumber and indicates that they were assembled by Pine Bluff Arsenal (PB) in1991 (91) in October (K).
A white phosphorus carrier shell cAmnesty International
Amnesty International found that the Israeli army used white phosphorus, aweapon with a highly incendiary effect, in densely-populated civilian residentialareas in and around Gaza City, and in the north and south of the Gaza Strip. Theorganizationfs delegates found white phosphorus still burning in residential areasthroughout Gaza days after the ceasefire came into effect on 18 January - that is, up to three weeks after the white phosphorus artillery shells had been fired byIsraeli forces. Amnesty International considers that the repeated use of whitephosphorus in this way in densely-populated civilian areas constitutes a form ofindiscriminate attack, and amounts to a war crime.3
3 See the news release , eIsrael used White Phosphorus in Gaza civilian areasf, Amnesty International, 19 January.
Such use of white phosphorus is prohibited by Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions, which prohibits indiscriminate attacks, and by the Third Protocol to the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons which may be Deemed to be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects, which relates to incendiary weapons.
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White phosphorus is a weapon intended to provide a smokescreen for troopmovements on the battlefield. When each 155mm artillery shell bursts, it releases116 wedges impregnated with white phosphorus which ignite on contact withoxygen and can scatter, depending on the height at which it is burst (and windconditions), over an area at least the size of a football pitch. In addition to theindiscriminate effect of air-bursting such a weapon, firing such shells as artilleryexacerbates the likelihood that civilians will be affected. When white phosphoruslands on skin it burns deeply through muscle and into the bone, continuing toburn until deprived of oxygen. It can contaminate other parts of the patient's bodyor even those treating the injuries.
A 16-year-old girl, Samia Salman Al-Manay'a, was asleep in her home in theJabalia refugee camp, north of Gaza City, when a phosphorus shell landed on thefirst floor of the house at 8pm on 10 January. Ten days later, from her hospitalbed, she told Amnesty International that she was still experiencing intense paindue to the burns to her face and legs. gThe pain is piercing. It's as though a fire isburning in my body. It's too much for me to bear. In spite of all the medicine theyare giving me the pain is still so strong.h4
Amnesty International has seen documents written during the Israeli militaryoffensive on Gaza by the office of the Israeli army Chief Medical Officer andMedical Field Operations headquarters.5 A document signed by Colonel Dr GilHirschorn, head of trauma in the office of the armyfs Chief Medical Officer, states:
"When the phosphorus comes in contact with living tissue it causes its damage by'eating' away at it. Characteristics of a phosphorus wound are: chemical burnsaccompanied by extreme pain, damage to tissue ... the phosphorus may seep intothe body and damage internal organs. In the long run, kidney failure and thespread of infection are characteristic ... In conclusion: a wound by an ordnancecontaining explosive phosphorus is inherently dangerous and has the potential tocause serious damage to tissue."
Another document entitled "Exposure to White Phosphorus," prepared by MedicalField Operations HQ and sent from the Health Ministry, notes that "most of thedata on phosphorus wounds stems from animal testing and accidents. Exposure towhite phosphorus is highly poisonous, according to many lab experiments. Burnscovering a small area of the body, 12-15 percent in lab animals and less than 10percent in humans, may be lethal as a result of its effects, mostly on the liver, heart and kidneys."
4 eIsrael must disclose weapons used in Gazaf, Amnesty International, 26 January 2009.
5 gGaza burn victims exhibit possible signs of white phosphorous woundsh, Haaretz, 5 February2009: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1061720.html
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In addition to the danger posed by the incendiary effect of white phosphorus, theartillery shells themselves continued to pose lethal threat after they dispersed thewhite phosphorus, as they continued on their trajectory and in many casessmashed into home full of civilians.
In Khuzaa, east of Khan Younis, in the south of Gaza, Amnesty Internationaldelegates found white phosphorus artillery carrier shells, both whole and infragments, in several homes in a densely-populated residential area. In one home, they found the fragments of another 155mm artillery carrier shell whichhad killed 47-year-old Hanan al-Najjar, a mother of four. She and her family hadfled their home and were staying with relatives in a residential area well insidethe town. On the evening of 10 January an artillery shell penetrated the roof ofthe house and travelled through two rooms, breaking up in the hall, where a largefragment hit Hanan in the chest, almost severing the upper part of her body. She was killed instantly. In the patio of the house, Amnesty International delegatesfound an artillery shell (illuminating round) and in a nearby house they foundanother whole artillery carrier shell which had crashed through the wall andlanded on the young couplefs bed, where a baby had been sleeping only minutesearlier.
Illuminating artillery shells
Amnesty International delegates encountered 155mm M485 A2 illuminating shellsused by the IDF which had landed in built up residential areas in Gaza. Theseeject a phosphorus canister, which floats down under a parachute. At least three of these carrier shells were found which had landed in peoplefs homes. Theseshells are yellow and one had the following markings: TZ 1-81 155-M 485 A2. TZis a known marking on Israeli ammunition.
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An artillery carrier shell which ejects a canister for illumination cAmnestyInternational
An artillery carrier shell which ejects a canister for illumination cAmnestyInternational
At the home of journalist Samir Khalifa, in the Zaitoun district of Gaza City,
Amnesty International delegates found a 155mm artillery shell which hadsmashed into his fourth floor apartment at 6am on 10 January, striking the roomnext to where he and his wife and children usually slept.6 The family escapedharm as they were sleeping downstairs with the grandparents.
Flechettes
Flechettes are not specifically prohibited under international humanitarian law.
However, their use in densely-populated civilian areas in Gaza contributed tounlawful killings of and injuries to civilians. Flechettes are 4cm long metal dartsthat are sharply pointed at the front, with four fins at the rear. Between 5,000 and8,000 of these darts are packed into 120mm shells which are generally fired fromtanks. The shells explode in the air and scatter the flechettes in a conical patternover an area about 300m long and 100m wide.7 Flechette rounds are designed tobe used against massed infantry attacks or squads of troops in the open and
6 See blog, eJournalists under firef, Amnesty International, 29 January 2009.
7 gHow Flechettes Workh, The Guardian:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/graphic/0,,2274464,00.html
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obviously pose a very high risk to civilians when fired in densely-populatedcivilian residential areas, as deployed by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip.
Amnesty International investigated several deaths and injuries of civilians in Gazacaused by flechettes in January.8 In one case, on 4 January 2009, an ambulancearrived about 15 minutes after a missile strike in Beit Lahiya that apparentlytargeted five unarmed young men. The ambulance was hit a few minutes later bya tank shell filled with flechettes. Two paramedics were seriously wounded in theincident and one of them, Arafa Hani Abd-al-Dayem, later died.
The following morning, Israeli forces fired several flechette shells into the mainroad near the Abd al-Dayem family home in 'Izbet Beit Hanoun, to the south-westof the town of Beit Hanoun. Two people, a child and a woman, were killed andseveral others were injured. Sixteen-year-old Islam Jaber Abd-al-Dayem wasstruck in the neck by a flechette. He was taken to the hospital's intensive careunit but died three days later. Mizar, his brother, was injured in the same attackand still has a flechette lodged in his back. Nearby, 21-year-old Wafaf Abu Jarad,
who was pregnant, her two-year-old son, her husband, and her father andbrother-in-law were all injured by flechettes in the courtyard of their home. Wafaf
Abu Jarad died of her injuries two days later.
Amnesty International has previously documented Israeli forcesf use of flechette
rounds in Gaza resulting in the killing of children.9 The manner in which shells
containing flechettes were used by Israeli forces in Gaza . fired in denselypopulated civilian areas - violates the international law prohibition onindiscriminate attack. Prior to their use during the recent military offensive, thelast known incident when flechettes were used in Gaza was on 16 April 2008,
when Israeli soldiers fired a flechette tank shell at Reuters journalist Fadel Shana,
while he was filming the tank, killing him and three other unarmed civilians,
including two children.10
In 2001, Janefs defense publication quoted an Israeli military source, who stated:
"The Israeli military obtained these weapons from the USA after the 1973 warand we have thousands of old shells in warehousescThe weapon is not regardedas reliable or effective and gunners have a difficult time in aiming this properly."11
8 See New Release, eIsraeli army used flechettes against Gaza civiliansf, Amnesty International, 27January 2009 and the blog, eA bloodstained wall of flechettesf, Amnesty International, 26 January2009, http://livewire.amnesty.org/2009/01/27/a-bloodstained-wall-full-of-flechettes/#more-8669 See eIsrael and the Occupied Territories and the Palestinian Authority: Killing the future: Childrenin the line of firef, Amnesty International, (Index: MDE 02/005/2002).
10 http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/news/armys-so-called-inquiry-cameramans-killinggaza-
scandal-20080815
11 http://www.janes.com/defence/land_forces/news/jdw/jdw010522_2_n.shtml
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Base of tank cartridge found by Abu Abdullah Abu eIda outside his house
cAmnesty International
Base of tank cartridge found by Abu Abdullah Abu eIda outside his house
cAmnesty International
Tank Ammunition
The markings on the base of one tank round found by Amnesty Internationaldelegates in Gaza at the destroyed house of the Abu eIda family indicated that itwas a 120mm M830 High Explosive Multi Purpose Cartridge made in the USA.
Amnesty International delegates found fragments from 120mm tank rounds allover Gaza, including in homes where these munitions had killed children andother civilians. Tank rounds are precision munitions. The killings of so manycivilians, many in their homes, indicates that these munitions were . at best .
used in a reckless or indiscriminate manner. In Jabaliya, north Gaza, at the homeof Dr Izz al-Din Abu al-eEish, a gynaecologist who works in an Israeli hospital,
Amnesty International delegates found fragments of the two 120mm tank shellswhich were fired by Israeli soldiers into the bedroom of Dr Abu al-eEishfsdaughters on the afternoon of 16 January. Three of the doctorfs daughters and hisniece were killed on the spot and another daughter and niece were seriouslyinjured.
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Missiles from UAVs . or gdronesh, helicopters and aircraft
Three paramedics in their mid 20s . Anas Fadhel Nafim, Yaser Kamal Shbeir, andRaffat Abd al-eAl . were killed in the early afternoon of 4 January in Gaza City asthey walked through a small field on their way to rescue two wounded men in anearby orchard. A 12-year-old boy, Omar Ahmad al-Baradefe, who was standingnear his home indicating to the paramedic the place where the wounded were,
was also killed in the same strike.
Amnesty International went to the scene of the incident with the two ambulancedrivers who had accompanied the paramedics and who had witnessed the attackand met the childfs distraught mother and found the remains of the missile thatkilled the three paramedics and the child. The label read gguided missile, surfaceattackh and the USA is mentioned as the weaponfs country of origin.12 This AGM
114 Hellfire missile, usually launched from Apache helicopters, was produced byHellfire Systems of Orlando, a Lockheed Martin/Boeing joint venture, under acontract with the US Armyfs Aviation and Missile Command at Redstone Arsenal,
Alabama which uses the number DAAH01-03-C-0106 on its contracts.
12 See blog, eAttacks on Ambulance Workersf, Amnesty International, 27 January 2009.
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Label on the remains of a missile that killed three paramedics and a child
cAmnesty International
Amnesty International found evidence of missile components, including Hellfire
AGM 114, from the air attack on the police cadet parade that took place on 27December 2008. One of the electrical components had gmade in Franceh writtenon it.
Cube-shaped shrapnel
Amnesty International delegates in Gaza also found evidence of the use of a newtype of missile, seemingly launched from unmanned drones, which explodes largenumbers of tiny sharp-edged metal cubes, each between 2 and 4 mm square insize. This purpose-made shrapnel can penetrate even thick metal doors and manywere seen by Amnesty Internationalfs delegates embedded deep in concretewalls. They appear designed to cause maximum injury and, in some respects,
seem to be a more sophisticated version of the ball-bearings or nails and boltswhich armed groups often pack into crude rockets and suicide bombs. The
signature of these new missiles, in addition to the deadly tiny metal cubes, is asmall and deep hole in the ground (about 10 cm or less in diameter and up toseveral metres in depth) and a small quantity of shrapnel made of very thin metal,
seemingly from the missilefs casing.
An X-ray of a young man who had been injured in one of these missile attacks,
which killed a dozen youths and injured several others, showed the tiny metalpellets still embedded in his thigh.
A 13-year-old girl who was asleep in her bed; three primary school-age boys whowere carrying sugar canes; two young women on their way to a shelter in searchof safety; a 13-year-old boy on his bicycle; eight secondary school students whowere waiting for the school bus to take them home; an entire family sitting in thecourtyard of their home, and many others were all killed in attacks with thesemissiles.
Dense Inert Metal Explosives (DIME)
There have been reports of the use by Israeli forces of DIME munitions in Gaza.
Amnesty International researchers in Gaza were not able to confirm the use ofsuch weapons but they interviewed doctors who described treating patients withinjuries that could be consistent with the use of DIME weapons.13
13 See news release, eOccupied Palestinian Territories: Israel must disclose weapons it used in Gazaattacksf, Amnesty International, 22 January 2009.
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According to the military publication, Janefs Intelligence Defence Review, DIMEmunitions contain high explosives mixed with a powdered, high-density metalsuch as tungsten, a design which reportedly gimproves the blast impulse andlethality near the detonation point (near field) but reduces the more distant (farfield) effects.h14
DIME munitions are not specifically prohibited under international law. However,
as a relatively new weapon, there are questions about their long-term healthconsequences, which require further study. It is suspected by some scientists thatembedded weapons-grade tungsten alloy shrapnel rapidly causes cancer in ratsand, while it is not known whether the rate of inducement would be equivalent inhuman beings, further studies are required into the effects, and risks posed tohumans exposed to it, of weapons-grade tungsten shrapnel.
Some medical doctors in Gaza described attending victims who had unusualwounds that might have been caused by DIME weapons. Patterns of injuryinclude limbs severed in a sharp amputation-like manner, with wounds looking asif cauterized and with little or no bleeding; very deep burns; and unexplaineddeterioration and deaths of patients with seemingly light injuries. Doctors arefinding it difficult to treat these patients because of uncertainty about the natureof the munitions which caused the injuries.
Amnesty International is calling on the Israeli authorities to disclose the weaponsand munitions used by their forces in Gaza, in order to facilitate treatment of theinjured. The organization believes further studies are required before it can bedetermined whether the use of DIME munitions is lawful under international law.
If it were determined that such weapons cause superfluous injury or unnecessarysuffering, or if they violate the provisions of the Protocol on Non-DetectableFragments (Protocol I to the Convention on Conventional Weapons) of 10 October1980, then their use even against combatants, not only civilians, would beprohibited.
Unlawful use of indiscriminate rockets by Hamas and otherPalestinian armed groups
Palestinian armed groups affiliated to Hamas and to other Palestinian factions(including the al-Aqsa Martyrsf Brigades, the armed wing of Fatah, Palestinian
14 eHunt for high blast/low collateral damage weapons leads back to DIME/MBXf, JanefsInternational Defence Review . 1 February 2008.
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President Mahmoud Abbasfs party) have been launching rockets into towns andvillages in south Israel. Although most of these rockets fall in empty areas, theyhave caused the deaths of several Israeli civilians, injured scores and causeddamage to civilian property. In some cases these rockets have failed to reach
Israel and have fallen inside Gaza, and some have killed and injured Palestiniancivilians. In January 2009, as an increasing number of Palestinian rockets hitAshkelon, Israeli officials reported that up to 40 percent of the cityfs 122,000inhabitants had left their homes temporarily to stay in other parts of Israel.
Sderot and villages in the area have also been similarly affected.
The rockets fired by Palestinian armed groups cannot accurately be directed atspecific targets especially at longer distances. They include rockets described asGrads (Russian generic names which may indicate specific (Grad 122mm)
calibres, or generically describe multiple-launched rockets) which have a range ofabout 35km, and home-made short range gQassamh rockets (another genericname).15 The military publication Janefs Terrorism and Security Monitor hasdescribed the gQassamh rockets as: ginaccurate, short-range and rarely lethalh.16
According to Janefs the gQassamh is a Palestinian improvised artillery weapon.17
Amnesty International delegates visited Sderot and Ashkelon police stations,
where they saw the rockets which have struck the towns and surrounding areas,
including Grads, Qassams and Quds. 18 The latter two are very crude, rusty 60,90, or 120mm pipes about 1.5 metres long with fins welded onto them. They canhold about five kilograms of explosives as well as shrapnel in the form of nails,
bolts, or round metal sheets which rip into pieces on impact. They have a range ofup to 20km, but cannot be aimed accurately. Grad rockets are more
professionally built and according to Israeli Police spokesperson Micky Rosenfeldare smuggled into Gaza, not produced locally there.
According to the Israeli army, Hamas and other Palestinian armed groupslaunched 643 rocket attacks on Israel between 27 December 2008 and 11 January2009. See the table for more information19:
IDF Reports of Number of rocket attacks by Hamas
27 December 2008 . 11 January 2009
15 eHamas rockets keep raining downf, Israeli forces have not entered population centres where
many missiles are hidden, security expert says, by Patrick Martin, Globe and Mail, 9 January 2009.
16 eRocket powered 'Hamastan' Janefs Terrorism and Security Monitor, 11 July 2007, 29 June 2007.
17 Ibid.
18 See blog, A day in southern Israelf, Amnesty International, 28 January 2009.
19 Israeli Defence Force, Operation Cast Lead, second newsletter.
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TOTAL: 643
Date
Attacks
27/
12
28/
12
29/
12
30/
12
31/
12
01/
01
02/
01
03/
01
04/
01
05/
01
06/
01
07/
01
08/
01
09/
01
78 35 80 51 64 64 31 35 34 33 33 18 18 24
10/
01
22
11/
01
23
Seven Israeli civilians were killed in 2008 by rockets fired by Palestinian armedgroups from Gaza into communities in south Israel. Three of the victims were
killed in separate attacks on three consecutive days, on 27, 28 and 29 December2008.
Fifty-eight-year-old Beber Vaknin was killed when a rocket fired from Gaza hit hisapartment building in Netivot on 27 December 2008. The following day, on 28December a 27-year-old Bedouin, Hani al-Mahdi, was killed and 16 of his coworkers
were injured when a Grad rocket missile launched by Hamas militiasfrom Gaza exploded at a construction site in the town of Ashkelon, where thegroup worked. A third Israeli, Irit Sheetrit, aged 39, was killed the following day,
on 29 December 2008 when another Grad rocket hit the centre of the town of
Ashdod. As with the attack of the previous day, Hamas also claimed responsibilityfor the attack.
Amnesty International has repeatedly called on Hamas and all other Palestinianarmed groups in Gaza to stop firing indiscriminate rockets against towns and
villages in southern Israel, and continues to do so.20
Arms supplies to Israel
Israel is a significant manufacturer of conventional arms, falling within the top 10of arms exporters in the world, but also relies on imports of military equipment,
parts and technologies. For example, Merkava-4 tanks produced in Israel haveused diesel engines assembled in the USA incorporating components produced inGermany.
Since 2001, the USA has been by far the major supplier of conventional arms toIsrael based on the value of export deliveries of all conventional arms includinggovernment to government as well as private commercial sales. US foreignmilitary sales to Israel have continued on a large scale (see Appendix 1). The USauthorities reported to the UN that the USA commercially traded $1,313 millionin garms and ammunitionh to Israel in the years from 2004 to 2007, of which $447million was traded in 2007. Israel did not report this trade to the UN. These
20 Israel/Occupied Palestinian Territories: End unlawful attack and meet Gaza's emergency needs,
AI, 29 December 2008.
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figures for US trade would normally exclude gifts of military equipment andassociated or gdual useh equipment and technologies. In addition to this trade,
the USA has provided large funding each year for Israel to procure arms despiteUS legislation that restricts such aid to consistently gross human rights violators.
Since 2002, during the Bush administration, Israel received over $21 billion in USmilitary and security assistance, including $19 billion in direct military aid underthe Pentagon's Foreign Military Financing (FMF) program. Put simply, Israel'smilitary intervention in the Gaza Strip has been equipped to a large extent by US-
supplied weapons, munitions and military equipment paid for with US taxpayersf
money.
Section 502B of the Foreign Assistance Act stipulates that "no security assistancemay be provided to any country the government of which engages in a consistentpattern of gross violations of internationally recognized human rightsh whichincludes gacts of torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment orpunishment, prolonged detention without charges and trial, causing thedisappearance of persons by the abduction and clandestine detention of thosepersons, and other flagrant denial of the right to life, liberty, or the security ofperson.h Section 4 of the Arms Export Control Act authorizes the supply of USmilitary equipment and training only for lawful purposes of internal security,
"legitimate self-defense," or participation in United Nations peacekeepingoperations or other operations consistent with the U.N. Charter. However, underthe US Export Administration Act, security assistance may be provided if thePresident certifies that gextraordinary circumstancesh exist, so Section 502B iscircumvented. The Leahy Law, named after the senator who introduced theamendment to US legislation, prohibits the USA from providing most forms ofsecurity assistance to any military or police unit when there is "credible evidence"
that members of the unit are committing gross human rights violations.
Assistance can resume if the government in question takes "effective measures"
and, under the Pentagon's interpretation of the law, if the foreign governmentfilters out the "few bad apples" in that particular unit, security assistance cancontinue.
On 16 August 2007, the US and Israeli governments signed a 10-year agreementfor the provision of $30 billion in US military aid. Full details of the package werenot disclosed; however, it is reported to include a new generation of F-35 fighterjets, advanced bombs, and laser-guided missiles. This military aid package,
amounting to $3 billion per year, represented a 25 percent increase of the USannual military aid appropriation to Israel of $2.4 billion. Israel was already thelargest recipient in the world of US military aid before the proposed increase.
Even after the start of the current conflict and reports of serious violations ofinternational humanitarian law by the IDF in Gaza, the US authorities continued
Amnesty International AI Index: MDE 15/012/2009
to authorize large consignments of US munitions, including white phosphorusmunitions, to Israel.
Other major arms exporting states such as France, Germany and the UK havebeen exporting far less to Israel than the US since 2004 but nevertheless theseexports appear significant. According to the EU's 2008 report on arms exportlicences, published in December for the 2007 calendar year and consolidating theaccounts that Member States must annually submit, 18 EU Member Statesauthorised a total of 1,018 such licences to Israel worth .199,409,348. France,
Germany and Romania were the top three exporters. France issued exportlicences worth .126 million, Germany authorised .28 million and Romania .17million. Export authorisations from states do not necessarily correspond to actualarms export data in any one year for a variety of reasons, but licenceauthorisations do show the willingness of governments of exporting States toequip Israelfs armed forces. Actual annual arms export data from the EU to Israeluntil the end of 2007 are shown in the table below.
Under Criterion 2 of the EU Code of Conduct on Arms Exports, Member Statesare supposed to gdeny an export licence if there is a clear risk that the proposedexport might be used for internal repressionh or gbe used in the commission ofserious violations of international humanitarian lawh. The term ginternal
repressionh gincludes, inter alia, torture and other cruel, inhuman and degradingtreatment or punishment, summary or arbitrary executions, disappearances,
arbitrary detentions and other major violations of human rights and fundamentalfreedoms as set out in relevant international human rights instruments, includingthe Universal Declaration on Human Rights and the International Covenant onCivil and Political Rights.h Across the EU, only 28 export licences were refused asa result of human rights, internal security or regional stability reasons.
As a result of political pressure in some EU countries concerned about theconflict in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, nine EU statesincluding Sweden now claim not to export any arms to Israel and states such asItaly and the UK have claimed to restrict their exports of conventional armsoverall, but sometimes such exports to Israel consist of components or transittrade. Nonetheless export data show that such states have exported infantryweapons, military vehicles and components for arms sent to Israel.
Other significant suppliers of military equipment to Israel since 2001 are (inalphabetical order) Austria, Australia, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Finland,
Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Romania, Serbia-Montenegro, the SlovakRepublic, Slovenia, South Korea and Spain. The Netherlands and Greece havebeen major transit countries for military equipment sent to Israel. Albania,
Bosnia-Herzogovina, Brazil, Colombia, and India are reported to have been in thetop 20 commercial suppliers of arms and ammunition.
Amnesty International AI Index: MDE 15/012/2009
International obligations regarding conventional arms transfers
The UN Security Council, in Operative Provision 6 of Resolution 1860 (2009), of8 January 2009, called on Member States "to intensify efforts to providearrangements and guarantees in Gaza in order to c prevent illicit trafficking inarms and ammunitionc" According to the 1996 United Nations Guidelines forInternational Arms Transfers, the term gillicit arms trafficking is understood tocover that international trade in conventional arms, which is contrary to thelaws of States and/or international law.h21
The responsibility of all states to prohibit international arms transfers that willfacilitate serious violations of international humanitarian law and human rightsderives from their obligation not to participate in the internationally wrongfulacts of another state. The principle is stated in Article 16 of the InternationalLaw Commissionfs Articles on Responsibility of States for InternationallyWrongful Acts22 in terms which reflect customary international law, binding on
all States. Article 16 states: gA State which aids or assists another State in the
commission of an internationally wrongful act by the latter is internationallyresponsible for doing so if: (a) that State does so with knowledge of thecircumstances of the internationally wrongful act; and (b) the act would beinternationally wrongful if committed by that State.h General international lawprohibits conduct that involves patterns of blatant abuse and complicity in sucha pattern of blatant abuse. The expression ggrossh or gserioush violation ofhuman rights is commonly used to convey a sense of scale, evoking both thenumber of violations and the gravity of their consequences for the victims. Italso suggests a measure of intent.
The table below shows the USA and EU suppliers of conventional arms to Israel,
including government to government transfers and commercial sales . up to themost recent period publicly available.
Actual Export of US and EU conventional military equipment toIsrael for the period 2004 to 200723:
21 See paragraph 7; the Guidelines were endorsed by the General Assembly in A/RES/51/47 B, 10
December 1996.
22 See Article 16 of the ILC Articles which were commended by the General Assembly, A/RES/56/83,
12 December 2001.
23 Figures taken from the Annual Reports on the EU Code of Conduct, otherwise national reports
which can be viewed at:
http://www.sipri.org/contents/armstrad/atlinks_gov.html
USA data is taken from the DOD Defense Security Agency Facts Book 2007.
Amnesty International AI Index: MDE 15/012/2009
2004 2005 2006 2007 TOTAL
USA USD
1,622,878,000
2,634,108,000
2,487,285,000
1,529,306,000
8,273,577,000
FMS USD
1,203,995,000
1,523,885,000
1,285,861,000
1,269,031,000
5,282,772,000
DCS USD 418,883,000
1,110,223,000
1,201,424,000 260,275,000
2,990,805,000
Bulgaria EUR 249,445 249,445Czech
Republic EUR 821,000 1,289,000 261,000 2,442,820 4,813,820France EUR 17,300,000 12,808,032 21,358,751 7,998,720 59,465,503Germany EUR 417,000 477,000 14,000 770,000 1,678,000Greece EUR 558,858 88,606 29,640 677,104Italy EUR 161,780 220,095 42,588 444,670 869,133Netherlan
ds EUR 3,253,083 3,253,083Poland EUR 508,819 508,819Romania EUR 3,154,943 3,395,240 6,809,454 7,631,156 20,990,793Slovakia EUR 304,656 205,506 510,162Slovenia EUR 435,818 233,544 492,150 1,138,180 2,299,692Spain EUR 35,257 273,728 441,335 1,515,934 2,266,254UK GBP 582,071 3,572,788 6,315,960 10,470,819
This table shows actual exports of military equipment as reported by the USA andEU governments. The value of the deliveries is shown in the different currenciesas reported. Statistics are compiled differently by states. There is no availabledata for 2008. This table has been compiled, with the exception of the USA, inalphabetical order of the countries named in the table.
Major commercial suppliers of infantry weapons, munitions andarmoured vehicles, and aircraft to Israel
Based upon customs data submitted by states to the UN Commodity TradeStatistics Database (Comtrade) the US accounted for 95 percent of all commercialsales -which are those sales made directly to Israel by manufacturers to foreignrecipients falling within the broad UN customs category 891 of garms and
ammunitionh between 2004 and 2007 amounting to a total recorded value of overUS$1.3 billion. Other major suppliers in this category were Serbia and
Montenegro (in 2004), Poland, Romania, Serbia (since 2005), South Korea,
Slovakia, Czech Republic, Finland and Austria.
Amnesty International AI Index: MDE 15/012/2009
The table below shows the top 20 arms suppliers to Israel by value in US$
according to this UN customs category of garms and ammunitionh, code 891. UNdata is not yet available for 2008.
Top 20 Arms and AmmunitionDeliveries to Israel between
2004-2007 measured in US$
USA
1,312,909,556
Serbia and
Montenegro (2004only) 8,626,560Poland 7,455,679Romania 6,757,241Serbia24 6,331,138Korea, South 5,864,486Slovakia 5,415,005Czech Republic 4,491,753Finland 4,138,731Austria 4,015,987Italy 3,187,896Brazil 1,983,166Bosnia-Herzogovina 1,880,499Germany 1,531,000Colombia 1,496,192Albania 1,255,415India 1,052,680Spain 952,725Netherlands 784,714UK 754,367Canada 707,384
A note on UN Comtrade data
No useful information is submitted by States to the UN Comtrade database on thequantity or exact types of military equipment or munitions transferred. The onlyindicator of the size of the shipment(s) is the value in US$. Also, not all Statesreport or report reliably to the UN and do not necessarily report their tradestatistics for each and every year. However, UN Comtrade data can be used to askgovernments about the exact nature of these deliveries, what equipment theyexactly covered, what quantity, who the end-user is and what is the intended end
24 This data was submitted by Serbia separately after 2005 after Montenegro separated from Serbiawhich is why the table actually lists the top 21 suppliers.
Amnesty International AI Index: MDE 15/012/2009
use. Nonetheless, the UN data does show which States are the main suppliers ofarms to Israel.
Aircraft and Helicopters
Over the years, the US has also supplied Israel with US-made F-16 combataircraft, Apache AH-64 helicopters and Black Hawk UH-60 combat helicopters.25
According to the most recent data available submitted to the UN Register onConventional Arms by the US government, during 2007 the US exported to Israelone M577A2 Command armoured combat vehicle; 18 F-16D combat aircraft; and50 LAU-129 A/A launcher missile launchers.26 In 2006, the USA exported to Israel21 F16 aircraft in 2006 and 42 Bell AH-1F Cobra.27 The Bell AH-1F Cobra gunshipincorporates the 2.75 inch rockets fired from 7-tube M158, 19-tube M200, 7-tubeM-260, or 19-tube M261 rocket pods, the M65 TOW28 missile system and the
M197 20mm gun.29
Tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles
According to the UN Comtrade database the following countries are the top fivesuppliers of equipment under the category of etanks and other armoured fightingvehiclesf code 89111.
Top 5 suppliers ofarmoured fightingvehicles between 20042007
in US$
USA 540,900,776Romania 5,819,346Slovakia 901,676Korea, 530,775
25 Classified as S-70A/UH-60L
26 US submission to the UN Register on Conventional Weapons, 18 July 2008.
27 As reported by Israel and the US although the US entry states 19 F-16s whereas the Israel entry
states 21 F-16s.
28 Tube-launched, optically tracked, wire-guided missile.
29 Huey Cobra Gunships (New Vanguard 125), Osprey Publishing, 2006: pp. 11.
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South
Kazakhstan
197,861
Ammunition
According to the UN Comtrade database, the US was the largest commercialsupplier of gmunitions of warh under the code 89129 to Israel between 2004-2007with US$480 million - 98% of all commercial sales in this category.
Top 10 deliveries ofemunitionsf 2004-2007 in
US$
USA
480,814,850
Finland 4,093,348Korea, South 4,048,761Germany 823,000Serbia30 760,635Poland 393,587Albania 387,169Serbia and
Montenegro (2004only) 376,681Romania 329,150Estonia 185,772UK 8,048
According to research by Amnesty International and International PeaceInformation Service (a NGO based in Antwerp), Serbian and Bosnian companieshave in recent years exported large quantities of small arms ammunition andcomponents, as well as artillery shell and mortar components to Israeli companiesthat supply such weapons to the IDF. Such exports have been sanctioned by thegovernments of Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia-Herzogovina.
The primary Israeli importer of small arms ammunition components and finishedproducts from the Balkans is the company Israeli Military Industries (IMI). During2005 and 2006, IMI imported millions of rounds of 5.56 calibre ammunition fromthe Prvi Partizan factory in Serbia.31 IMI also ordered 45 million rounds of 5.56
calibre ammunition compatible with IDF assault rifles from a Bosnian factory in
30 This data was submitted by Serbia separately after 2005 after Montenegro separated from Serbia
which is why the table actually lists the top 21 suppliers.
31 According to information obtained from the Ministry of International Economic Relations (MIER)
of Serbia & Montenegro.
Amnesty International AI Index: MDE 15/012/2009
September 2005.32 IMI continued to import massive quantities of IDF compatibleammunition from Serbia. IMI is the leading small arms supplier to the IDF. Seebelow for information on small arms and light weapons.
Rockets and Missiles
Israel typically uses the AGM-114 Hellfire II missiles which are fired from theBoeing AH-64 Apache attack helicopter. The armament of the AH-64 Apacheattack helicopter consists of the 2.75 inch (70mm) Hydra rockets carried in 19tube
rocket pods and the M230 30mm chain gun.33 The US supplies these to Israel
as the table below shows.
Proposed US Foreign Military Sales notified to Congress 2005-2008 (DSCA)
Date Source Quantity Description
30/10/0Transmittal 2,0007 08-07 14
1,000200
500
100
Radio Frequency (RF) TOW 2A Missiles
TOW 2A Fly-to-buy Missiles
AGM-114K3 HELLFIRE II Missiles
AGM-114L3 HELLFIRE II Longbow Missiles
AGM-114M3 HELLFIRE II Missiles
PATRIOT Guidance Enhanced Missile Plus (GEM+)
09/09/0Transmittal 28,000M72A7 66mm Light Anti-Armor Weapons (LAAWs),
8 08-87 60,000 M72AS 21mm Sub-Caliber Training Rockets.
Bombs
The table below shows proposed US supplies of the GBU-28 ebunker busterf andother bombs to Israel between 2005 and 2008.
Proposed US Foreign Military Sales notified to Congress 2005-2008 (DSCA)
Date
Source
Quantity
Description
32 Arms transfer documentation made available to Amnesty International originating from Bosnia &
Herzegovina
33 Apache AH-64 Boeing (McDonnell Douglas) 1976-2005 (New Vanguard 111), Osprey Publishing,
2005: pp. 14.
Amnesty International AI Index: MDE 15/012/2009
27
29/04/0Transmitta
l 05-10
100 GBU-28 bombs that include: BLU-113A/B penetration
warhead, WGU-36A/B guidance control unit, FMU-143H/Bbomb fuze, and BSG-92/B airfoil group guide. Also included
are: support equipment; testing, spare and repair parts;
supply support; publications and technical data, U.S.
Government and contractor technical assistance and
other related elements of logistics support.
20/04/0Transmitta 3,500 MK-84 (Tritonal) general purpose bomb units
7 l 07-21
03/08/0Transmitta 10,0007 l 07-32 1,5002,00050
MK-84 live bombs;
MK-82 live bombs;
BLU-109 live bombs;
GBU-28 guided live bombs
09/09/0Transmitta 1,000 GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs (SDB1)
8 l 08-82
The US Department of Defense contracted Boeing in September 2006 toincorporate focused lethality munition (FLM) technology into small diameterbombs.34 According to the table above 1000 GBU-39s were ordered in September2008 by Israel. There are reports that the FLM uses DIME technology.35
Artillery shells including white phosphorus shells
During the Gaza conflict, photographic evidence emerged of the Israeli armyusing stocks of white phosphorus smoke shells. Amnesty International hasidentified the pale blue 155mm rounds, clearly marked with the designationM825A1, as an American-made white phosphorus munition.36 White phosphorus isalso marked in the US list of munitions due to be carried on a eship of shameffrom the USA to Israel . see section on gUS arms shipsh below.
The table below shows government-to-government salesf notices for theshipment of artillery munitions from the US to Israel:
Proposed US Foreign Military Sales notified to Congress 2005-2008
(DSCA)
Date
Source
Quantity
Description
34 gSmall Diameter Bomb (SDB): GBU-39,h Defense Update, 26 January 2009, http://www.defenseupdate.
com/products/s/sdb.htm.
35 http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/munitions/sdb-flm.htm; eSDB Focused LethalityMunitionf, Boeing Backgrounder, August 2008, http://www.boeing.com/defensespace/
missiles/sdb/docs/SDB_FLM_overview.pdf
36 This evidence was reported in eGaza victims' burns increase concern over phosphorusf, TheTimes, 8 January, http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article5470047.ece
Amnesty International AI Index: MDE 15/012/2009
30/10/07 Transmitta 150,048l 08-07
8,00030,003100,0005,000
M433 40MM High Explosive Dual Purpose(HEDP) CartridgesM930 120MM Illuminating Cartridges
M889A1 81MM High Explosive Cartridgeswith M935 Fuzes
M107 155MM High Explosive ArtilleryRounds
M141 83MM Bunker Defeat Munitions
Israeli companies such as Soltam Systems have also purchased large quantities ofkey mortar and artillery shell components from Bosnia & Herzegovina.37 Soltam
Systems is a leading supplier of artillery and mortar shells to the IDF.38
Small Arms and Light Weapons
Israel makes its own pistols, assault rifles (Galil and Tavor), machines guns andother light weapons, while such items in the hands of Hamas and otherPalestinian groups are usually former USSR types smuggled in from unknown
sources.
The US has been a large supplier of firearms and light weapons to Israel. ManyIsraeli soldiers can be seen carrying M4 carbine assault rifles. According to EUreports for exports to Israel during 2007, Bulgaria and Poland issued licences forsmall arms and/or light weapons worth over .2 million, with Germany, Spain,
Slovenia and the UK approving small amounts of less than .500,000.
The top five suppliers to Israel of emilitary weaponsf (under the code 89112 in theUN Comtrade database) have been:
Top 5: 2004-2007In US$
USA 31,181,225Albania 868,246Netherland
s 420,360Mexico 115,080
37 Israeli government Foreign Defense Assistance and Defense Export Organization literature for theUK Defence Systems and Equipment International Exhibition, DSEI.
http://www.exhibitions.sibat.mod.gov.il/DSEI/UploadDocs/sod_soltam.pdf Soltam supply 120mmmortars and 155mm self-propelled artillery to the IDF. Soltam also supply 60mm and 81 mm mortarshells to ITF.
38 http://soltam.bsmart.co.il/HTMLs/article.aspx?C2004=12638&BSP=12491&BSS7=12638 last
accessed on 8 August 2006.
Amnesty International AI Index: MDE 15/012/2009
Croatia
47,342
Electronic Equipment
The EU's 2008 consolidated report on arms exports lists "electronic equipmentspecifically designed or modified for military useh with licences for export toIsrael approved by France (.89 million) and Germany (.5 million) during 2007. Inaddition, France approved the export of .22 million of gimaging orcountermeasure equipment for military useh. The US is also thought to be a majorsupplier of such equipment.
Components
According to the UN Comtrade data, the US was the largest commercial supplierof gparts and accessories for military weapons and non-military weaponsh to
Israel. Between 2004 and 2007 the US exported US$151 million-worth of suchparts and accessories -97% of all commercial sales in this category. Other
suppliers include: Austria which shipped $3,045,131 worth during the same
period; the Netherlands $361,841; the UK $279,565 and the Czech Republic$116,304. The table below shows proposed government to government transfersfrom the US to Israel:
Proposed US Foreign Military Sales notified to Congress 2005-2008
Date Source
03/08/07 Transmitta
l 07-32
Quantity
10,0002,500500
1,000
(DSCA)
Description
Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) tail
kits;
PAVEWAY II full kits for the MK-82
warhead;
Amnesty International AI Index: MDE 15/012/2009
10,000
PAVEWAY II full kits for the MK-83
10,000
warhead;
PAVEWAY II full kits for the MK-84
warhead;
FMU-139 live fuze components; and
FMU-152 live fuze components.
The UK is also coming under increasing scrutiny about the export of components.
Amnesty International remains particularly concerned about the exports of UKcomponents that may have been incorporated into military systems used by theIDF. The introduction in 2002 of revised UK guidelines for the control of exportsof components for incorporation in military systems were specifically intended toallow the export of UK components to the USA for incorporation in militaryequipment such as F-16 combat aircraft and Apache combat helicopters whichwere known be exported to the Israel. The UK has also licensed components for awide variety of military equipment directly to Israel. Details contained within UKgovernment reports do not allow for a meaningful assessment of the end-user ofthis equipment, but Amnesty International has concerns that some of thisequipment, particularly components for UAVs and naval equipment, may havebeen exported to Israeli military forces and used for serious violations.
In addition, numerous credible sources, including company promotionalliterature, established defence industry journals and sources from within theIsraeli military have stated that a UK company provides the engines for theHermes 450 pilotless gdroneh UAV aircraft manufactured in Israel by Elbitsystems.39 The Hermes 450 UAVs are currently operated by the IDF as well asother armed forces. It has been widely reported that the Hermes 450 UAV uses a'UEL AR-80-1010' engine manufactured by a company based in Lichfield.40 The
initial version of the aircraft was reportedly powered by an 'AR741' engine, alsoproduced by the Lichfield company, when at the time the IDF were the only usersof the Hermes 45041.
A spokesperson for Elbit Systems has denied these claims, stating that whilst theUK company does provide engines for Hermes 450s that are destined for export,
the UK company does not provide the engines for any of the drones used by theIsraeli armed forces. Amnesty International is not alleging any illegality on thepart of UK companies, nor suggesting that any of its exports have not beenauthorised by the necessary export licenses from the UK government.
39 http://amnesty.org.uk/news_details.asp?NewsID=18004
40 http://www.elbitsystems.com/data/un_Hermes%20450.pdf
41 Latest Hermes UAV to equip IDF', Jane's International Defence Review, 1 July 1997: 'The `S'model is the latest version of Silver Arrow's Hermes 450...The 450S is powered by a single UEL AR80-
1010 air/water-cooled rotary engine'.
Amnesty International AI Index: MDE 15/012/2009
UAVs have been extensively used in combat operations by the IDF in Lebanonand Gaza42. The claims have been strongly Denied by Elbit systems, the Israelimanufacturer of the Hermes 450, who have stated that UK engines are only usedin variants manufactured for export and not used by the IDF. AmnestyInternational-UK has written to the UK government to seek assurances that it hasnot licensed components for use in UAVs and that it has undertaken sufficientend-use monitoring to ascertain that UK engines are not and have not been usedin UAVs operated by the IDF. Government officials43 have admitted that they areunable to say whether UK engines have been incorporated into drones used bythe IDF. MPs are calling for a full account into arms exports to Israel. The lack ofa robust end-use monitoring and verification system hampers public andparliamentary scrutiny of UK arms supplies, especially where it concerns thetransfer of components that are incorporated into military equipment.44
According to the Canadian NGO Ploughshares, Canadian-built components arealso included in many US weapons systems that are exported to Israel.
Special Fuels
Under the Foreign Military Sales program the US government regularly providesthe Israeli government with various fuels: EN590 diesel fuel and JP-8 jet fuel.
Because of its properties JP-8 is also used in ground-based operations, for
example armoured vehicles.45 See appendix two for a table showing fuel
contracts for the Israeli government between 2002 and 2008.
Current US arms ships
Since early December 2008, the US Military Sealift Command has beenorganizing three large deliveries by sea of military ammunition and highexplosives, including explosives with white phosphorus, from the US base atSunny Hill, North Carolina, to an Israeli port near Gaza.
42 Elbit Systems Press Release, 12 November 2007. See also statements by John Ging, Director of
Operations for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
(UNRWA), Gaza City, 5 January 2009:
http://domino.un.org/unispal.nsf/47d4e277b48d9d3685256ddc00612265/1a9a526ac2009453852575
360052b3d7!OpenDocument
43 See recent exchanges by government officials at a UK parliamentary committee on arms export
controls on 21 January 2009, available at:
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmselect/cmquad/uc178-i/uc17802.htm
44 See eIsraeli drones in Gaza may have had British engines, ministers admit: Government unable to
say whether aircraft used to target missile strikes had UK-exported partsf, The Guardian, 3 February
2009.
45 B. Smith, T. Bruno: gImprovements in the measurement of distillation curves. 4. Application to the
aviation turbine fuel Jet-Ah, Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 2007 (Vol. 46, No. 1): pp.
310-320.
Amnesty International AI Index: MDE 15/012/2009
On 4 December 2008, the USA's military shipping service, Military SealiftCommand, issued a request to charter a commercial cargo vessel to move a verylarge consignment of gcontainerized ammunition and other containerizedammunition suppliesh from Sunny Point, North Carolina . the location of a USMilitary Ocean Terminal - to Ashdod in Israel. The contract was awarded on 8December 2008 to a German shipping company, Oskar Wehr KG GmbH, and the
cargo was due to be loaded in North Carolina on 13 December 2008.
The US military tender request indicated an extremely large quantity ofammunition and associated supplies: the first planned shipment consisted of theequivalent of 989 standard (20ft) shipping containers of cargo, and required theship to carry at least 5.8 million lbs (around 2600 metric tons) of 'net explosiveweight', a measure of the explosive content of the cargo. The ship was placedunder the tactical control of the US Sealift Logistics Command for the duration ofthe voyage, and was required to have up to 12 US armed forces personnel onboard.
On 31 December 2008, just four days after the start of Israel's attacks on targetsin Gaza, a second request was issued by the US Military Sealift Command for aship to transport two further shipments of ammunition from Astakos in Greece toAshdod, Israel. These shipments were to comprise 157 and 168 standard shippingcontainers of ammunition with a net explosive weight of nearly 1 million lbs. The'Hazard Codes' of the cargo indicate that the cargo would include articlescontaining white phosphorus.
Planned US munitions shipments to Ashdod (Israel), according to US
tender documents:
Shipment 1
Shipment 2
From
SunnyPoint, NC,
USA
Astakos,
Greece
Amnesty International
Loadingdate
13 Dec 2008
18-19 Jan
2009
Latest Arrival
Date in Ashdod
?? (42 daycharter)
22 Jan 2009
Cargo Size(equivalent no.
of 20ft
shippingcontainers)
989 containers
157 containers
Net
Explosive Weight(lbs)
5,800,000
971,575.9
AI Index: MDE 15/012/2009
33
Shipmen
Astakos,
25 Jan 2009?
29 Jan 2009
168 containers
973,164.
t 3
Greece
[latest
3
arrival date
in Astakos]
Transport tenders for these second and third shipments were cancelled on 9January. However, a US military spokesperson confirmed on 12 January that theywere still seeking a way to deliver these shipments, likewise destined for theIsrael stockpile. US forces have also previously transferred ammunitionconsignments between vessels at sea around the Greek mainland and Crete.
According to Amnesty International research with the NGOs TransArms and theOmega Research Foundation, on 20 December 2008, the first delivery of 989containers was taken from North Carolina in a container ship, the Wehr Elbe,
owned by Oskar Wehr KG. This arms ship entered Gibraltar on 28 December, butthe German firm told Amnesty International that its ship did not unload the armsin Israel. According to maritime tracking facilities, the Wehr Elbe sailed off the
coast of Greece near Astakos for several days then disappeared off the radar on12 January reportedly after the Greek Government refused to grant permission totranship the munitions to Israel. The Wehr Elbe has a capacity of over 2,500 20 ftshipping containers and thus has the capacity to load the first shipment ofammunition in North Carolina, load the other shipments in Astakos, and sail on toAshdod. As of 27 January, according to maritime tracking facilities, the shipfs lastport of call was Augusta, Italy. As of 17 February, the ship has not subsequentlydocked anywhere.
According to a report from Reuters on 9 January 2009, a US naval spokespersonstated that the delivery was gto a pre-positioned U.S. munitions stockpile in Israelin accordance with a congressionally authorized 1990 agreement between the
U.S. and Israel...This previously scheduled shipment is routine and not in supportof the current situation in Gaza.h However, the portion of US Army PrepositionedStocks (APS) maintained in Israel is the War Reserve Stocks for Allies . Israel(WRSA-I) stockpile. According to information provided to Congress in 2003 by theUS Department of Defense, this is a gseparate stockpile of U.S..owned munitionsand equipment set aside, reserved, or intended for use as war reserve stocks bythe U.S. and which may be transferred to the Government of Israel in an
emergency, subject to reimbursement.h46
Arms supplies to Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups
46 eUS says arms shipment to Israel is not linked to Gazaf, Reuters, 9 January 2009.
Amnesty International AI Index: MDE 15/012/2009
Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups have smuggled small arms, lightweapons, rockets and rocket components into Gaza, using tunnels from Egypt intoGaza; this weaponry has been acquired from clandestine sources. gKatyushah
rockets are originally Russian-made, but those being used by Palestinian fightersare unlikely to have been acquired directly from Russia. Such imports andholdings are on a very small scale compared to those of Israel. A rocket arsenalthat provides an offensive or deterrent capability similar to that fielded by theLebanese group Hizbullah during the 2006 war with Israel is beyond the reach ofPalestinian militant groups.
It is reported by Jane's Defence Weekly that Hamas has an estimated rocket
arsenal of 3,000, primarily locally made, short-range rockets: the Qassam 1, 2 and
3. The longer-range rockets are purchased abroad and smuggled into Gaza viaEgypt. These include the 122mm Grad rocket, originally Russian-made, theIranian-made 220mm Fadjr-3, and allegedly also Chinese-made rockets smuggledfrom Sudan.47 The explosives used in the warheads is either manufactured locallyfrom fertilizer or smuggled into Gaza through tunnels or from the sea.
Over the years several arms shipments allegedly en route to Gaza are reported tohave been intercepted by Israeli or Egyptian security forces. In May 2006 theIsraeli Navy said it had intercepted a Palestinian fishing boat with 500kg ofweapons grade TNT.48 The Egyptian police said they recovered 1,000 kg of
explosives in Sinai . 30 km from Gaza -in October 2006.49 Also, in 2008, severallarge caches were reportedly recovered: Egyptian police uncovered a cache inMay 2008 containing 500kg of TNT 500 metres from the Rafah border crossingbetween Egypt and Gaza.50 In late May 2008, an Egyptian police official told the
Associated Press news agency that the Egyptian authorities had found
ammunition boxes, RPGs and anti-aircraft missiles apparently bound for Gazasome 80 km south of Rafah.51
The table below estimates the Hamas rocket arsenal52:
47 gHamas deploys rocket arsenal against Israelh, Janesf Defence Weekly, 14 January 2009, pp. 5
48 eIsrael Navy seizes load of high grade explosives off Gazah, International Herald Tribune, 9 May2006
49 gEgyptian police seize some 1,400 kilos of TNT buried in N. Sinaih, Haaretz (Associated Press), 4November 2006.
50 gEgyptian police uncover 500 kilograms of TNT near Egypt-Gaza borderh, Jerusalem Post(Associated Press), 27 May 2008.51 gEgyptian police uncover weapons cache inside a Sinai mountainh, International Herald Tribune(Associated Press), 31 May 2008.52 This information has been compiled from the following articles: 'Israel aims for new securityreality in Gaza', Janefs Defence Weekly,14 January 2009; 'Hamas is on the defensive in Gaza crisis,
Janefs Defence Weekly, 14 January 2009; 'Hamas deploys rocket arsenal against Israel', Janefs
Amnesty International AI Index: MDE 15/012/2009
Type Range Warhead OriginPayload
Qassam-1 3 km 0.5 kg Locally made
Qassam-2 6-10 km 5-7 kg Locally made
Qassam-3 10 km 10 kg Locally made
122mm 20 km USSR/Russia, various
Grad
220mm 40 km 45 kg Iran
Fadjr-3
122mm 40 km China
According to Jane's Defence Weekly, Hamas is in the possession of several homemade
anti-armour rockets: the Al-Battar, the Banna 1 and Banna 2.53
There have been several reports that Iran has provided military equipment andmunitions, including rockets, to Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups butAmnesty International has not seen any evidence to verify these allegations.
Recommendations
Impose UN SC arms embargo - Impose immediately a comprehensiveUN Security Council arms embargo on Israel, Hamas and other Palestinianarmed groups until effective mechanisms are in place to ensure thatweapons or munitions and other military equipment will not be used tocommit serious violations of international human rights law andinternational humanitarian law. This must include ensuring that allegedviolations are thoroughly and impartially investigated and accountability,
with any persons who are found responsible being brought to justice in fairtrials.
Suspend All Arms Transfers - Act immediately to unilaterally suspend alltransfers of military equipment, assistance and munitions, as well as thosewhich may be diverted, to Israel, Hamas and other Palestinian armedgroups until there is no longer a substantial risk that such equipment willbe used for serious violations of international humanitarian law and human
Defence Weekly, 14 January 2009; 'Hamas longer-range rockets threaten Israeli Companies, Defense
News, 5 January 2009.
53 gHamas deploys rocket arsenal against Israel', Janefs Defence Weekly, 14 January 2009, pp. 5.
Amnesty International AI Index: MDE 15/012/2009
rights abuses. The suspension should include all indirect exports via othercountries, the transfer of military components and technologies and anybrokering, financial or logistical activities that would facilitate suchtransfers.
Accountability - Establish without delay thorough, independent andimpartial investigation of violations and abuses of international humanrights law and international humanitarian law, including the Israeli attackswhich have been directed at civilians or civilian buildings in the GazaStrip, or which are disproportionate, and Palestinian armed groupsfindiscriminate rocket attacks against civilian centres in southern Israel.
Amnesty International has collected evidence of possible war crimes andother serious violations of international humanitarian law and human
rights law. There must be full accountability for such crimes. Whereappropriate states must be ready to initiate criminal investigations andcarry out prosecutions before their own courts if the evidence warrants it.
Support for the Golden Rule on Human Rights - Actively support theestablishment of an effective global Arms Trade Treaty that includes thegGolden Ruleh on human rights and international humanitarian law toavoid and minimise the recurrence of arms supplies contributing to suchserious violations . the Golden Rule promoted by Amnesty Internationaland other NGOs is that all States will prevent the transfer of arms,
including military weapons, ammunition and equipment, where there is asubstantial risk that the arms are likely to be used for serious violations ofinternational human rights law or international humanitarian law.
Public Document
****************************************
International Secretariat, Amnesty International, 1 Easton St., London WC1X 0DW, UK
www.amnesty.org
Amnesty International AI Index: MDE 15/012/2009
37
Appendix One: Proposed US Foreign Military Sales notified toCongress 2005-200854
Date Source Quantity Description
29/04/05
Transmittal
05-10
20/04/07
Transmittal
07-21
100 GBU-28 bombs that include: BLU-113A/B penetrationwarhead, WGU-36A/B guidance control unit, FMU143H/
B bomb fuze, and BSG-92/B airfoil group guide.
Also included are: support equipment; testing, spareand repair parts; supply support; publications andtechnical data, U.S. Government and contractortechnical assistance and other related elements of
logistics support. The estimated cost is US$30 million.
3,500 MK-84 (Tritonal) general purpose bomb units, testing,
support equipment, spares and repair parts, supplysupport, personnel training and training equipment,
publications and technical data, U.S. Government andcontractor technical assistance and other related
elements of logistics support. The estimated cost is
US$65 million.
03/08/07
Transmittal
07-32
24/08/07
Transmittal
07-37
10,0002,500500
1,00010,0001,5002,00050
10,00010,000
30
500
Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) tail kits;
PAVEWAY II full kits for the MK-82 warhead;
PAVEWAY II full kits for the MK-83 warhead;
PAVEWAY II full kits for the MK- 84 warhead;
MK-84 live bombs;
MK-82 live bombs;
BLU-109 live bombs;
GBU-28 guided live bombs;
FMU-139 live fuze components; and
FMU-152 live fuze components.
Also included: Containers, bomb components,
spare/repair parts, publications, documentation,
personnel training, training equipment, contractor
technical and logistics personnel services, and other
related support elements. Total value could be US$465
million
RGM-84L BLOCK II HARPOON Anti-Ship missiles withcontainers and
AIM-9M SIDEWINDER Short Range Air-to-Air InfraredGuided missiles, spares and repair parts for supportequipment, training, publications and technical
documents, U.S. Government and contractor technicalassistance, and other related elements of logistics and
54 US Department of Defense, Defense Security Cooperation Agency, Arms SalesNotifications, http://www.dsca.mil/PressReleases/36-b/36b_index.htm last accessed 19
January 2009.
Amnesty International
AI Index: MDE 15/012/2009
24/08/07 Transmittal
07-43
30/10/07
Transmittal
08-07
09/06/08
Transmittal
08-42
09/09/08
Transmittal
08-62
program support. The estimated cost is US$163
million.
200 AIM-120C-7 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air
(AMRAAM) missiles, containers, components,
spare/repair parts, publications, documentation,
personnel training, training equipment, contractor
technical and logistics personnel services, and otherrelated support elements. The estimated cost is
US$171 million.
2,000Radio Frequency (RF) TOW 2A Missiles
14 TOW 2A Fly-to-buy Missiles
1,000AGM-114K3 HELLFIRE II Missiles
200 AGM-114L3 HELLFIRE II Longbow Missiles500 AGM-114M3 HELLFIRE II Missiles
100 PATRIOT Guidance Enhanced Missile Plus (GEM+)
150,048M433 40MM High Explosive Dual Purpose (HEDP)
8,000Cartridges30,003M930 120MM Illuminating Cartridges100,000M889A1 81MM HE Cartridges with M935 Fuzes
5,000
M107 155MM HE ProjectilesM141 83MM Bunker Defeat Munitions
Also, includes non-MDE cartridges, projectiles,
charges, fuzes, containers, spare and repair parts, testand tool sets, personnel training and equipment,
publications, U.S. Government and contractor
engineering and logistics personnel services, QualityAssurance Team support services, and other relatedelements of logistics support. The estimated cost is
US$1.329 billion.
25 T-6A Texan aircraft, Global Positioning System (GPS)
with CMA-4124 GNSSA card and Embedded
GPS/Inertial Navigation System (INS) spares, ferrymaintenance, tanker support, aircraft ferry services,
site survey, unit level trainer, spare and repair parts,
support and test equipment, publications and technicaldocumentation, personnel training and trainingequipment, contractor technical and logistics personnelservices, and other related elements of logistics
support. The estimated cost is US$190 million.
3 PATRIOT System Configuration 3 Modification kits toupgrade 3 PATRIOT fire units to Radar EnhancementPhase 3 (REP-3) and Classification, Discrimination andIdentification Phase 3 (CDI-3). Non-MDE includes:
communication support equipment, tools and test
equipment, integration and checkout, spares and
Amnesty International
AI Index: MDE 15/012/2009
39
repair parts, installation and training, publications andtechnical documents, U.S. Government and contractortechnical assistance, and other related elements of
logistics and program support. The estimated cost isUS$164 million.
15/07/08 Transmittal 4 Littoral Combat Ships (LCS-I variant): Hull, and all06-63 mechanical and electrical functions. Each ship will be
equipped with: 2 MK-41 Vertical Launch Systems, 8cells for each system; 1 Close-In-Weapon System, Block1A, 1 Enhanced HARPOON Launching System with
launchers; 2 MK-32 Surface Vessel Torpedo Tubes;
Communications and Sensors; Link 16; COMBATSS-21with SPY-1F(V) and MK-99 Fire Control System; or ShipSelf-Defense System. Also includes design and
integration services, hardware and software, spare andrepair parts, test and tool sets, personnel training andequipment, publications, U.S. Government and
contractor engineering and logistics personnel
services, and other related elements of logistics
support. The estimated cost is US$1.9 billion.
30/07/08 Transmittal
08-76
9
Lockheed Martin C-130J-30 United States Air Force
(USAF) baseline aircraft including USAF baseline
6 equipment and Block 7.0 Software;
9 Rolls Royce AE 2100D3 spare engines;
9 AN/AAR-47 Missile Warning Systems (includes three
9 spares) ;
9 AN/ALR-56M Advanced Radar Warning Receivers
4 (includes three spares);
10 AN/ALE-47 Counter-Measures Dispensing Systems4 (includes three spares) ;
3 AN/AAQ-22 Star SAFIRE III Special Operations Suites1 (includes three spares) ;
2 spare AN/ARC-210 Single Channel Ground and
10 Airborne Radio Systems (SINCGARS);
5
spare Secure Voice Very High Frequency/Ultra HighFrequency Radios ;
spare Secure Voice High Frequency Radios ;
spare AN/AAR-222 SINCGARS and Key Gen (KV-10)
Systems ;
KIV-119 Non-standard Communication/COMSECequipment ;
ARC-210 Non-standard Communication/COMSECequipment ;
External Pylons and Fuel Tanks ;
Internal Israeli Tank Modification Kits ;
Also included are spare and repair parts,
configurations updates, communications security
Amnesty International
AI Index: MDE 15/012/2009
09/09/08 Transmittal
08-82
1,000150
30
2
7
1
2
12
3
2
29/09/08 Transmittal 25
08-83 (+50optional)
equipment and radios, integration studies, supportequipment, aircraft ferry and tanker support, repairand return, publications and technical documentation,
personnel training and training equipment, U.S.
Government and contractor engineering and logisticisUS$1.9 billion.
GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs (SDB1),
BRU-61/A SDB1 Mounting Carriages,
Guided Test Vehicles,
BRU-61/A SDB Instrumented Carriages,
Jettison Test Vehicles,
Separation Test Vehicle,
Reliability and Assessment Vehicles,
Common Munitions BIT and Reprogramming
Equipment with Test Equipment and Adapters,
SDB1 Weapons Simulators, and
Load Crew Trainers.
Also includes containers, flight test integration, spare
and repair parts, support equipment, personnel
training and equipment, publications and technical
data, U.S. Government and contractor engineering and
logistics personnel services, and other related elements
of logistics support. The estimated cost is US$77
million.
25 F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Conventional Take-Off andLanding (CTOL) aircraft with an option to purchase ata later date an additional 50 F-35 CTOL or Short Take-
Off and Vertical Landing (STOVL) aircraft. All aircraft
will be configured with either the Pratt and Whitney F135
engines or General Electric-Rolls Royce F-136
engines. Other aircraft equipment includes:
Electronic Warfare Systems; Command, Control,
Communication, Computers and
Intelligence/Communication, Navigational and
Identification (C4I/CNI); Autonomic Logistics Global
Support System (ALGS); Autonomic Logistics
Information System (ALIS); Flight Mission Trainer;
Weapons Employment Capability, and other
Subsystems, Features, and Capabilities; F-35 uniqueinfrared flares; unique systems or sovereign
requirements; reprogramming center,
Hardware/Software In-the-Loop Laboratory Capability;
External Fuel Tanks; and F-35 Performance Based
Logistics. Also includes: software
development/integration, flight test instrumentation,
aircraft ferry and tanker support, support equipment,
tools and test equipment, spares and repair parts,
Amnesty International AI Index: MDE 15/012/2009
41
personnel training and training equipment,
publications and technical documents, U.S.
Government and contractor engineering and logisticspersonnel services, and other related elements of
logistics and program support. The estimated cost is
US$15.2 billion.
09/09/08 Transmittal 28,000M72A7 66mm Light Anti-Armor Weapons (LAAWs),
08-87 60,000 M72AS 21mm Sub-Caliber Training Rockets, spare andrepair parts, support equipment,
publications and technical documentation, personneltraining and training equipment, U.S. Government andcontractor engineering and logistics personnel
services, and other related elements of logistics
support. The estimated cost is US$89 million.
Amnesty International AI Index: MDE 15/012/2009
Appendix Two: US Foreign Military Sales Fuel Contracts forIsraeli government 2002-200855
Award No. Awardee
Description Source
SP0600-08-D0495
Valero Marketing &
Supply Co., San
Antonio, Texas
SP0600-06-D-Refinery Associates of0506 Texas, Inc., New
Braunfels, Texas,
$45,978,408.00 fixed price with
economic price adjustment,
indefinite delivery and indefinite
quantity contract for fuel. Using
service is the Government of
Israel. The date of performancecompletion is Aug. 13, 2008
a maximum $22,556,374 fixed-
price with economic price
adjustment contract for diesel
fuel. The using service is foreignmilitary sales . Israel. The other
location of performance is
Compagnie Industrielle Maritime
SNC, Le Harve, France. This is an
indefinite-delivery, indefinite-
quantity type contract. The date ofperformance completion is July 31,2006.
Defense
Contracts,
No. 562-08
(3 July2008)
Defense
Contracts,
No. 707-06
(25 July2006)
SP0600-06-D-Valero Marketing &
a maximum $36,781,780 fixed-Defense
0542 Supply Co., San price with economic price Contracts,
Antonio, Texas adjustment contract for JP8 jet No. 669-06
fuel for the government of Israel. (14 JulyThe date of performance2006)
completion is Jan. 30, 2007.
SP0600-05-D0453
Valero Marketing &
Supply Co., San
Antonio, Texas
A $103,331,200 fixed price with
economic price adjustment type
contract for fuel for the
government of Israel. Performancecompletion date is expected to beDecember 31, 2005.
Defense
Contracts,
No. 121604
(29November
2004)
SP0600-05-D-ExxonMobil Fuels
A maximum $32,306,080 fixed Defense
0451 Marketing, Fairfax, Va.
price with economic price Contracts,
adjustment contract for USG of No. 229-05
EN590 and EN 228 for Foreign (4 MarchMilitary Sale to Israel. 2005)
55 US Department of Defense, contract archive, http://www.defenselink.mil/contracts/archive.aspx
last accessed 19 January 2009.
Amnesty International
AI Index: MDE 15/012/2009
Performance completion
Dec. 31, 2005.
date is
SP0600-04-D0452
ExxonMobil Fuels
Marketing, Fairfax, Va.
A $24,314,094 fixed price with
economic price adjustment for fuel
for Foreign Military Sale (Israel).
Performance completion date is
expected to be March 1, 2005.
Defense
Contracts,
No. 965-03
(19December
2003)
SP0600-04-D0454
Valero Marketing and
Supply Company, San
Antonio, Texas
A $7,093,519 fixed price with
economic price adjustment type ofcontract for fuel for the
government of Israel. Performance
completion date is expected to beNovember 30, 2003.
Defense
Contracts,
No. 817-03
(4November
2003)
SP0600-03-D0457
Valero Marketing andSupply Co., SanAntonio, Texas
A $87,199,890 fixed-price with
economic-price adjustment typecontract for JP8 and EN590 fuel for
the government of Israel. The
performance completion date is
January 30, 2004.
Defense
Contracts,
No. 618-02
(5December
2002)
SP0600-02-R0552
Valero Marketing andSupply Co., SanAntonio, Texas
A $6,922,338 fixed price with
economic price adjustment type
contract for JP8 jet Fuel for the
Government of Israel. Performance
completion date is scheduled for
October 2002.
Defense
Contracts,
No. 464-02
(12September2002)
SP0600-02-D0502
Valero Marketing andSupply Company, SanAntonio, Texas
A $8,744,537 fixed-price with
economic price adjustment type
contract for 10,500,000 USG of
EN590 for the Government of
Israel. Performance completion isexpected to be April 30, 2002.
Defense
Contracts,
No. 164-02
(5 April2002)
Amnesty International AI Index: MDE 15/012/2009