Sahar Vardi

Sahar Vardi is an Israeli anti-militarist activist and one of the founders of The Database of Israeli Military and Security Export (DIMSE), a project challenging Israel’s military industry and arms trade.

Recent Articles
Attendees inspect Israeli-made firearms at the Defense Tech Expo in Tel Aviv, February 17, 2026. (Oren Ziv)
Arms sales to Israel are slowing. But that’s only half the story
By continuing to purchase weapons from Israel, foreign states are sustaining the infrastructure, expertise, and financing it needs to wage its next war.
By Sahar Vardi August 19, 2026
Attendees at the Defense Tech Expo in Tel Aviv, February 17, 2026. (Oren Ziv)
Israel’s arms sales are surging. So why are its weapons expos smaller than ever?
Bypassing public exhibits, Israeli weapons firms are using subsidiaries to sell to European states — even those pledging an arms embargo due to the genocide.
By Sahar Vardi February 23, 2026
Awdah Hathaleen and his eldest son, Watan, in Umm Al-Khair, the West Bank, March 2021. (Emily Glick)
Israel is holding Awdah Hathaleen’s body. His killer roams freely through his village
On hunger strike to demand his return, Umm Al-Khair's women can't even sleep undisturbed as the army detains the village's men in nightly raids.
By Sahar Vardi and Basel Adra August 5, 2025
Khalil Abu Yahia at his graduation from the Islamic University of Gaza in 2022. (Instagram)
A tribute to Khalil
Even in his death, Khalil reminds us of our role as human rights activists and freedom fighters: to keep going, so that this won’t happen again to anyone. 
By Sahar Vardi November 3, 2023
Ben & Jerry's ice cream on sale at a shop in Jerusalem. (Jonathan Sindel/Flash90)
Yes, take away our ice cream
Of course I want to live in a reality where Israelis recognize and work to end the occupation. But we don't, so we need companies like Ben & Jerry's to scoop up our Chunky Monkey.
By Sahar Vardi July 20, 2021
An Israeli soldier learns how to operate the Skylark drone in the Negev desert, January 21, 2013. (IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
This database is exposing decades of Israel’s shady arms deals
Israel has been exporting arms to the world’s most repressive governments. A new project aims to hold it accountable by tracking these confidential sales.
By Sahar Vardi February 10, 2021
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with Base Commander Brigadier General Peleg Niago, during a visit to the Air Force base in Tel Nof to meet with foreign air force commanders, May 23, 2018. (Kobi Gideon/GPO)
Oil, guns, and gas: How Gulf money will fuel Israel’s arms industry
Israel and its new Arab allies are striking major deals to advance fossil fuel projects — endangering the region's stability and the global climate.
By Sahar Vardi December 8, 2020
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, U.S. President Donald Trump, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the UAE Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bahrain attend the Abraham Accords Signing Ceremony at the White House in Washington, USA, September 15, 2020. (Avi Ohayon/GPO)
The real winners in the Israel-UAE deal? Arms dealers
The normalization agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates was presented as a peace deal. In reality, it's a license for weapons manufacturers to expand their customer base.
By Sahar Vardi October 8, 2020
The Philippine Coast Guard presenting a shipment of 70 Israeli-made machine guns at the PCG National Headquarters Port Area on May 7, 2018. (Courtesy of Philippines Coast Guard)
The fight to expose Israel’s arms sales to the world’s most repressive regimes
In the span of less than 10 years, activists from across the political spectrum went head to head with the Israeli government, trying to bring an end to its arms exports to tyrannical governments worldwide.
By Sahar Vardi December 25, 2019
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and former mayor of Haifa Yona Yahav pose with Indian soldiers during a ceremony for Indian soldiers who fought in the First World War, at the British cemetery in Haifa, July 6, 2017. (Marc Israel Sellem/GPO)
Israeli weapons are heading for the East — with no concern for human rights
We don't know all the countries Israel's secretive arms industry is targeting for future sales. What we do know is that the people of Myanmar, Kashmir, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Palestine, and others will pay the price.
By Sahar Vardi December 16, 2019
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