A promotional image from Kongsberg Defence Australia (Image: Kongsberg)
A promotional image from Kongsberg Defence Australia (Image: Kongsberg)

Australian taxpayers will once again be funding companies with ties to the Israel Defense Forces, with the government’s announcement that Norwegian arms manufacturer Kongsberg will receive $850 million to build missiles at a manufacturing facility near Newcastle.

Kongsberg, which has maritime, defence, aerospace and digital arms, is majority-owned by the Norwegian government.

Norway bans arms exports to countries in states of war, including Israel, and in February, Norway’s foreign minister Espen Barth Eide said: “states exporting weapons to Israel should reassess whether they are effective partners in the genocide in Gaza Strip or not.