Germany dismisses claims of arms export halt to Israel
Flags of Germany, Israel and the EU are seen outside the German lower house of parliament Bundestag in Berlin, Germany. (AA Photo)
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz rejected claims Thursday that Berlin had imposed a de facto halt on arms exports to Israel, stating that more defense goods would be sent soon.
His pledge contrasted sharply with remarks from French President Emmanuel Macron, who last week suggested an embargo on weapons for use in Gaza, prompting a strong rebuke from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
‘There will be further deliveries soon’
In a speech to the German parliament, Scholz asserted, “We have not decided to stop delivering weapons. We have delivered weapons, and we will deliver weapons.” He indicated that steps were being taken “to ensure that there will be further deliveries soon,” although he did not specify the equipment to be sent.
Opposition leader Friedrich Merz criticized the government during a parliamentary session focused on Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, alleging that the German government had failed for months to approve new arms deliveries to Israel.
Germany’s steadfast support for Israel
Germany has long sought to atone for the Holocaust by pledging steadfast support for Israel, but the relationship has strained since the October 7 attack ignited the devastating Gaza war.
Berlin has repeatedly joined other Western governments in calling for ceasefires in Gaza and Lebanon, where Israel is engaged in conflict with Hamas’ ally, Hezbollah.
Merz, the CDU party’s candidate aiming to unseat Scholz in the upcoming elections, claimed there were “cracks in Germany’s solidarity” with Israel. He alleged that for months, the government had refused to grant export permits for ammunition and spare parts for tanks to Israel.
Rolf Muetzenich, the parliamentary group leader of Scholz’s SPD party, insisted that Berlin was supporting Israel with weapons, as well as humanitarian and financial aid, while emphasizing that defense exports must “comply with international humanitarian law.”
Sahra Wagenknecht, a far-left opposition politician, sharply criticized German weapons deliveries to Israel, arguing they “aid and abet war crimes.” She stated, “Israel has the right to protect itself and its citizens. But Israel does not have the law on its side when it razes Gaza to the ground and buries its inhabitants under rubble and ash with unbridled ruthlessness.”
She further condemned the situation in Lebanon, warning that “this brutality is being repeated” and asserting that “there must be no weapons from Germany for this.”
