Germany suspends new arms exports to Israel due to ‘legal Challenges’
Berlin (Quds News Network)- Germany has paused new arms exports to Israel due to ongoing ‘legal challenges’, according to data analyzed by Reuters and a source close to the German Economy Ministry. Last year, Germany significantly increased its arms exports to Israel, approving weapons and military equipment worth 326.5 million euros ($363.5 million), a tenfold rise compared to 2022. However, this year has seen a sharp decline in approvals, with only 14.5 million euros’ worth granted from January to August 21, including just 32,449 euros under the “weapons of war” category.
A source linked to the Economy Ministry stated that the approval process for arms exports to Israel has been halted pending the resolution of legal cases that state such exports breach humanitarian law. Germany’s government is defending two cases related to this issue—one at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and another in Berlin, filed by the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR). The government maintains that no weapons of war have been exported under any licence since the Gaza genocide started by Israel, apart from spares related to long-term contracts.
Tensions surrounding arms exports have sparked divisions within the German government. While the Chancellery continues to back Israel, the Greens-led Economy and Foreign Ministries have voiced growing concerns, partly in response to criticism from party members. Legal challenges across Europe have also caused other countries to halt or suspend arms exports to Israel. Earlier this year, Britain suspended 30 arms export licences, and the Netherlands was ordered by a Dutch court to stop exporting F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel due to concerns about their use in Gaza. Although US President Joe Biden’s administration briefly paused certain bomb shipments, it has continued delivering other weaponry to Israel, supporting the genocide in Gaza.
