Israeli Lawmakers from Right and Left: Cut Arms Sales to Rights Violators

In a rare paring of strange political bedfellows, an Israeli lawmaker from the far right has teamed with a colleague from the far left in a call for an end to Israeli arms sales to countries that are human rights abusers. Yehuda Glick of the Likud Party and Tamar Zandberg of the Meretz Party, are soliciting other legislators to sign-on based on a belief that moral obligations supersede economic considerations. Under terms of the bill being offered, the foreign ministry would be required to keep the defense ministry apprised of specific nations known to be committing torture, cruel and inhuman punishment and detention without cause. The sponsors are concerned over the 130 countries issued defense export licenses, few of which are democracies. Making matters worse, Israel has been known to furnish deadly weapons to anti-democratic regimes such as South Sudan, Rwanda, Kenya, and the Congo. According to Zandberg, “The economic interests cannot justify the spilling of blood and the cooperation with groups and governments that carry out crimes against humanity.” Admonishing that Israel has a mandate to be a “moral lighthouse,” Glick said, “If we are forced to produce weapons then they have to be in order to protect lives rather than take lives in an immoral manner. This is our moral obligation.”
A representative of CAA Tactical shows off a rifle to interested parties at a security trade exhibition fair in Tel Aviv (Photo: JACK GUEZ/AFP/Getty Images)