Pentagon allocates $8.6bn to Boeing to build fighter jets for Israel amid Gaza genocidal war

The Pentagon has announced an $8.6 billion contract with Boeing, under which the company will build new fighter jets for Israel, a move that deepens Washington’s complicity in the occupying entity’s genocidal war on the besieged Gaza Strip.

In a statement, the Pentagon said Boeing will design and deliver 25 new F-15IA fighter jets to the Israeli air force, with an option to double the order to 50 aircraft.

The deal comes as Israeli air power has been heavily deployed in the Palestinian territory during the ongoing war, devastating the coastal territory and killing more than 71,000 people since October 2023.

The F-15, a twin-engine fighter originally developed in 1969 by McDonnell Douglas and later produced by Boeing after their 1997 merger, has long been a cornerstone of Israel’s air fleet.

The Tel Aviv regime has operated multiple variants of the aircraft for decades and used them extensively in the Gaza war, while Boeing is set to manufacture the new jets at its St. Louis facilities with the Pentagon projecting completion by the end of 2035.

The contract follows a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, though the arms flow spans multiple administrations.

In 2024, the administration of former US president Joe Biden approved an $18 billion sale of F-15 jets to Israel, and the latest deal comes as Israel’s war on Gaza fuels widespread protests against US and corporate support for its military.

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The new agreement drew immediate condemnation from the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), whose National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell called the decision “morally indefensible”.

He denounced Washington and Boeing for profiting from crimes against humanity, describing the deal as a “reward for genocide.”

“This Boeing contract sends a clear message that US defense contractors and foreign governments can profit from Israel’s crimes against humanity without consequence. It is a reward for genocide, paid for by American taxpayers,” Mitchell stressed in a statement.

Boeing’s military ties to Israel date back to 1948, and the company has continued to deepen its relationship through military contracts and industrial partnerships, even as students and activists across US campuses demand that universities cut ties with the firm that is arming Israel’s war machine.

Tech giants in the US, such as Microsoft, Amazon, and Google, have also been targeted by protests and demands to sever ties with Israel, with employees and activists calling on the companies to block the Israeli regime and its military from using their software.

These demonstrations have resulted in dozens of arrests and several terminations, including roughly nine Microsoft employees and one Amazon employee.

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