Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Netanyahu: If Lebanese Army takes steps to disarm Hezbollah, Israel will engage in reciprocal measures, including phased reduction of Israeli military presence in Lebanon
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Photojournalist Houssam Al-Masri martyred, reporters Hatem Omar, Mohammad Ashraf Salameh injured in Israeli strike on Nasser Medical Complex.
Israeli media: Intense US efforts are being made to resolve differences, such as the issue of the Israeli presence on Mount Hermon and in southern Syria
Israeli media: The security agreement means amending the disengagement agreement, which will also address the Druze issue
Israeli media: Attempts to reach a security agreement between 'Israel' and Syria were among the topics discussed at the Paris meeting
Israeli media: Sheikh Muwaffaq Tarif rejected a US proposal to join the recent tripartite meeting between Tom Barrack, al-Shaibani, and Dermer
Saba News Agency: Two martyred, five injured in a preliminary toll of the Israeli aggression on the Yemeni Oil Company station on Al-Sitteen Street in Sanaa
Senior Yemeni military source to Al Mayadeen: We observed a state of confusion among the enemy's aircraft squadron after Yemeni air defenses intercepted the attack
Senior Yemeni military source to Al Mayadeen: The Yemeni air defense forces succeeded in neutralizing a squadron of enemy aircraft and prevented airstrikes on some governorates
Senior Yemeni military source to Al Mayadeen: Our air defenses and missile forces forced a formation of enemy aircraft to flee the airspace

'Israel' ramps up diplomacy to prevent German arms export restrictions

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 28 May 2025 21:18
4 Min Read

Chancellor Merz himself has recently expressed rare criticism of "Israel's" actions in Gaza, describing them as "no longer comprehensible" and casting doubt on their justification as anti-terror operations.

Listen
  • x
  • An Israeli soldier aims his weapon as he stand next to an armoured vehicle during a military raid in the West Bank city of Nablus, Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)
    An Israeli soldier aims his weapon as he stand next to an armoured vehicle during a military raid in the West Bank city of Nablus, Tuesday, May 27, 2025 (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)

Israeli channel Kan 11 reported Tuesday evening that "Israel" is carrying out a high-level diplomatic push to stop the German government from imposing or even considering limits on arms exports to Tel Aviv, as international condemnation over the humanitarian disaster in Gaza continues to mount.

According to the report, "Israel" is attempting to sway the office of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and the German Foreign Ministry by portraying the current food aid distribution mechanism in Gaza as a "fundamental shift" from previous efforts. This move is intended to undercut any German rationale for re-evaluating military support.

This comes as recent reports indicated that Germany is actively reassessing its arms export policy toward "Israel." Chancellor Merz himself has recently expressed rare criticism of "Israel's" actions in Gaza, describing them as "no longer comprehensible" and casting doubt on their justification as anti-terror operations. Members of his coalition, especially from the Social Democratic Party (SPD), are advocating a suspension of arms exports, citing violations of international law.

Public opinion in Germany is also shifting: recent polls show that a majority of Germans oppose continuing arms shipments to "Israel," with around two-thirds urging Berlin to pressure "Israel" to facilitate humanitarian aid delivery to Gaza.

Arms Pressure

In a direct attempt to influence Berlin's stance, Israeli officials have framed their current policy in Gaza as a humanitarian breakthrough, arguing that it marks a "dramatic and fundamental shift." This narrative is part of a broader campaign to ensure that Germany does not follow the lead of countries like Canada and Belgium, which have already suspended or canceled military exports to "Israel."

Related News

Majority of Germans call for stronger stance on 'Israel', poll finds

Almost 60 UK MPs call for full ban on arms exports to 'Israel'

The diplomatic efforts also align with a scheduled phone call between Chancellor Merz and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, during which both leaders are expected to address the future of military ties and broader security cooperation.

Meanwhile, pressure is rising from within the German public sphere. Dozens of activists and German residents gathered outside the German Foreign Ministry to demand the suspension of EU-Israeli agreements and an immediate halt to arms exports. Protesters carried signs in both Hebrew and German, bearing messages like "We must stand against genocide" and "No to a second Nakba," in clear reference to the ongoing siege and devastation in Gaza.

YESTERDAY: Israeli citizens in Berlin protest in front of the German Federal Foreign Office to demand the suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement and for Germany to stop arming Israel. The protesters oppose the Genocide in Gaza and the ethnic cleansing across Palestine. pic.twitter.com/K0Qt6O1iHa

— Activestills (@activestills) May 28, 2025

Germany has not yet enacted any formal embargo, but political pressure, civil society mobilization, and international precedent suggest Berlin's historically unconditional support for "Israel" is facing unprecedented scrutiny.

Read more: Germany decries Gaza toll while fueling war with weapons to 'Israel'

Complicity Reckoning

Germany's reluctance to confront "Israel" has long been tied to a narrative of historical responsibility rooted in the Holocaust, one that has been consistently weaponized to shield ongoing Israeli crimes against Palestinians from accountability.

But as Merz noted at a European policy conference on Monday: "Germany must exercise greater restraint than any other country in the world in giving public advice to Israel. But if lines are crossed, where international humanitarian law is now really being violated, then Germany, the German chancellor, must also say something about it."

Despite this rhetorical pivot, recent figures show that Germany has significantly fueled "Israel's" military campaign. In  2023 alone, Germany approved €326.5 million in weapons exports to "Israel," a tenfold increase over the previous year. Even in 2024, amid growing scrutiny and legal appeals, Berlin authorized another €161 million in military equipment. Between August and October 2024, €94 million of that total was approved, sparking criticism from rights groups over complicity in violations of humanitarian law.

With images of bombed hospitals, starving children, and mass civilian casualties in Gaza dominating headlines, Germany's government now faces mounting calls to align its policy not just with historical memory, but with present-day moral and legal obligations. 

  • Weapons to Israel
  • war on Gaza
  • Friedrich Merz
  • Israel
  • Gaza genocide
  • Germany

Most Read

Tom Artiom Alexandrovich, executive director of the defense division of the Israeli National Cyber Directorate, undated (Social media)

Israeli-born US prosecutor drops Israeli officer child sex crime

  • Politics
  • 19 Aug 2025
Displaced Palestinians walk through a makeshift camp along the beach in Gaza City, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025 (AP)

Hamas, other factions accept Egypt-Qatar ceasefire proposal: Exclusive

  • Politics
  • 18 Aug 2025
Israeli soldiers stand on the top of armoured vehicles parked on an area near the Israeli-Gaza border, as seen from southern Israel, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025 (AP)

Palestinian fighters target Israeli soldiers, vehicles in Gaza

  • Politics
  • 21 Aug 2025
Almost instantly after the Helsinki Accords were signed, organisations sprouted to document purported violations, whose findings were fed to overseas embassies for international amplification. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Zeinab el-Hajj)

How ‘Human Rights’ became a Western weapon

  • Opinion
  • 23 Aug 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference at the Prime minister's office in al-Quds, Occupied Palestine, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Netanyahu deliberately derailing truce with Gaza occupation: Hamas

Irish President Michael Higgins arrives to deliver his speech during a 42nd World Food Day celebration at FAO headquarters in Rome, on Oct. 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Politics

Irish president renews call for UN military intervention in Gaza

US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at the US Embassy in Aukar, northern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, July 21, 2025 (AP)
Politics

US envoy, Netanyahu discuss restraining attacks on Lebanon, withdrawal

Smoke billows following Israeli airstrikes in multiple areas in Sanaa, Yemen, Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Ansar Allah vow sustained Gaza support despite Israeli strikes

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS