Internal German disagreement over arms export order to Israel

Germany faces growing pressure from legal cases alleging humanitarian violations in its arms exports to Israel.

Germany is under increasing political and legal pressure over its arms exports to Israel. (Source: Reuters)

However, Mr. Steffen Hebestreit, German government spokesman, affirmed that Berlin "has no ban on arms exports to Israel".

According to data from the Ministry of Economy, in 2023, Germany approved arms exports worth 326.5 million euros to Israel, including military equipment and weapons, a tenfold increase compared to 2022.

In 2024, the number of arms export licenses decreased. Specifically, in the first eight months of the year, Berlin approved only 14.5 million euros, with the weapons category accounting for 32,449 euros.

In a lawsuit before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights, the German government asserted that since the October 7 attack by Hamas, Berlin has not exported any weapons, except for the remaining quantities in long-term contracts.

Israel's offensive on the Gaza Strip has killed more than 41,000 Palestinians and displaced 2.3 million.

The issue of arms exports to Israel has also sparked disagreements within Germany itself, with the Green-led Economy Ministry and Foreign Ministry criticizing Chancellor Olaf Scholz's continued public support for Israel.

Legal challenges across Europe have led many of Israel's other allies to halt or suspend arms exports.

In September 2024, Britain suspended 30 of its 350 arms export licenses to Israel over concerns that Tel Aviv could violate international humanitarian law.

In addition, a Dutch court in February 2024 also decided to stop exporting F-35 fighter jet spare parts to Israel due to concerns about their use in attacks on civilian targets in Gaza.

However, the US continues to approve and provide other types of weapons to its ally Israel to ensure its self-defense capabilities.

The significant drop in arms approvals shows that countries are hesitant to supply military hardware to Israel, according to lawyer Alexander Schwarz at the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights.

“But I don't think this is a deliberate policy change,” Mr. Schwarz said.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/noi-bo-duc-bat-dong-ve-lenh-xuat-khau-vu-khi-cho-israel-286860.html