New resource: the Database of Israeli Military and Security Export

A new database of Israeli military and security exports – www.dimse.info - has been launched. The new database, developed by the American Friends Service Committee, is a tool for journalists, academics, campaigners, and other civil society actors critical of Israel’s arms export and its effect on human rights around the world.

DIMSE gathers information about Israeli military and security exports listing information by country, by weapons, and by companies. The database presents information about Israeli military and security exports between the years 2000-2020. Beside a detailed list of arms deals for each country, the database analyses the economic and military relations with Israel and shows how Israeli arms were used in the different countries. It also collected instances of human rights violations committed with Israeli arms both in Israel, and by the receiving countries. Among the 46 countries that have been investigated in the database you can find Myanmar, Sri Lanka, India, Azerbaijan, South Sudan, Morocco, Mexico, Colombia, Germany and many more. For example, by combining different information and sources, the database shows how drones that were used by the Israeli air force in Gaza and were involved in the killing of Palestinian civilians, were presented later as “combat-proven” and then sold to different countries, among them, countries that are involved in multiple violations of human rights.

Israel is one of the world’s major exporters of military equipment. In 2019, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) ranked Israel as the 8th largest arms exporter in the world. According to different reports, Israel has sold arms to over 130 countries over the past few decades, most of them are unknown to the public. The new database includes data on 46 counties, and more will be updated in the future.

Contact person: JHempel@afsc.org