Philippines halts Israeli arms purchases amid Gaza war

MANILA, Sept. 18 (YPA) –  Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro announced before parliament in Manila that his country will no longer proceed with the purchase of new weapons systems from Israel, the Hebrew newspaper Globes reported.

The decision came in response to rising domestic political pressure over Israel’s brutal war on Gaza.  The paper noted that the move means the Israeli arms industry has lost a major Asian client.

The Philippines has long been considered one of the most important markets for Israeli weapons in East Asia.

According to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the Philippines ranked second worldwide between 2019 and 2023 as a destination for Israeli arms exports, accounting for 12% of total deals—behind India (37%) and ahead of the United States (8.7%).

Teodoro explained that the government had “learned a lesson” from difficulties in disengaging from older contracts due to weak legislative safeguards.

He referred to a past deal with Elbit Systems to purchase 155mm artillery shells worth 250 million Philippine pesos for the “Atmos” howitzers, clarifying that this was not a new acquisition but part of earlier agreements.

@E.Y.M