Luxembourg drops approval for Israel bonds issue: What that means

Luxembourg is not renewing its authorisation for the issue of Israel bonds since it expired on Monday, leaving Israel with an uncertain future over its ability to borrow via investors in European markets.

Last month, Luxembourg’s Finance Minister Gilles Roth told broadcaster RTL that the financial regulator, the Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (CSSF), had decided in May not to renew approval for the bond prospectus beyond its August 31 expiry date.

A bond prospectus is a legal document that gives investors detailed information about a bond and its issuer before it is launched onto the market. It is produced under the supervision of the financial market within which the bonds are issued – in this case, Luxembourg.

Israel bonds, issued through the Development Corporation for Israel (DCI), are debt securities by the State of Israel that represent a loan from an investor to the Israeli government. Investors earn interest on the bonds they have bought.

Capital raised via Israeli bonds is not earmarked for specific purposes but forms part of the Israeli government’s overall financing, which means it can be used to fund defence and military spending.

Following the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack on southern Israel and the subsequent launch of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, the Israeli government increased its military financing, and Israel Bonds were marketed worldwide as opportunities to “support Israel at War” in the same year. According to Amnesty International, the country raised $4.5bn on international markets through the sale of these bonds between October 2023 and January 2025.

Israel Bonds issued in the European Union raise about $2.5bn a year, according to Israel’s Ministry of Finance.

Focus on the number of Israeli bonds held by countries in the EU has intensified as Israeli attacks in Lebanon, Gaza and the occupied West Bank continue, and has given rise to what critics say are inconsistencies in countries’ approach to the plight of Palestine.