Germany will resume arms exports to Israel after the pause due to the Gaza war.
Berlin justifies its actions by stating that the ceasefire is holding and humanitarian aid is reaching the Gaza Strip.
BerlinThe German government announced on Monday that it will resume arms exports to IsraelGermany has lifted the partial arms embargo imposed this summer by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, citing the fact that the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip is holding and that humanitarian aid is arriving. This decision will take effect on November 24, according to German government spokesman Stefan Kornelius. Kornelius justified the lifting of the embargo, which he said was due in part to the fact that the truce, in effect since October 10, "has stabilized in recent weeks." He also mentioned efforts to achieve a lasting peace and the increase in humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip. The German federal government has warned that in the future it will "generally review each case individually and react to new developments" regarding arms exports. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar welcomed Berlin's decision: "I urge other governments to adopt similar decisions, following Germany's example," he wrote on his Twitter account.
The German Chancellor surprised everyone this summer by announcing that Germany was suspending its use of Gaza. However, the partial embargo did not affect other systems considered necessary for Tel Aviv to continue defending itself against external attacks.
Merz did it amid growing pressureBoth within and outside Germany, the Chancellor urged Berlin to adopt a tougher stance toward Israel in light of the catastrophic humanitarian situation then prevailing in the Gaza Strip and the increasing aggression of the Israeli army in the Gaza war. The Chancellor made this decision on August 8th after Benjamin Netanyahu's government approved a military plan to occupy Gaza City and before the declaration of independence. Five weeks ago, the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas was declared.Germany is the second largest arms exporter to Israel after the United States. Germany supplied 30% of Israel's arms imports between 2019 and 2023, primarily frigates and torpedoes for the Israeli Navy. Among the equipment supplied by Germany during this period were Sa'ar 6-class frigates (MEKO A-100 light frigates) and armored vehicle engines, which were used in the Gaza War, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Merz's decision to impose a partial arms embargo strained relations between Germany and Israel. Since becoming Chancellor last May, Merz has adopted an unusually critical tone toward Israel for a German chancellor. The conservative leader raised the tone against Israel because of the offensive in Gaza, and went so far as to say that Tel Aviv could not justify the suffering of civilians in the Strip with the fight against Hamas. "Solidarity with Israel does not mean that we consider every decision a government makes to be good, nor that we lend it our support, even going so far as to provide military support through the supply of weapons," he said when announcing the embargo.
Holocaust Document Auction
The existence and security of Israel are traditionally considered a matter of national importance for Germany. This stems from Berlin's historical responsibility for the murder of six million European Jews by the Nazis in the Holocaust, a matter that remains highly sensitive. This Monday, the Felzmann auction house canceled the sale of Holocaust-related documents and artifacts following outrage from Shoah survivors and criticism from the German and Polish governments regarding the sale to the highest bidder. Among the items slated for auction were Stars of David, letters written by concentration camp prisoners to their loved ones, Gestapo files, documents related to forced sterilizations, records of companies forcibly sold to the Germans, and Nazi propaganda material. "The memory of the victims of the Holocaust is not a commodity and cannot be subject to commerce," stated Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski. "Something like this is simply unacceptable, and it must be clear that we have an ethical obligation to the victims to prevent this kind of thing," declared his German counterpart, Johann Wadephul.
"Documents about the persecution and the Holocaust belong to the families of the persecuted. They should be displayed in museums or memorial exhibitions and not degraded into commercial objects," said Christoph Heubner, executive vice president of the International Committee of Aus. "Memory is not for sale and never will be," added Polish Minister of Culture Marta Cienkowska.
