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Does contradiction reflect Germany's divide over 'Israel' arms export?

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Reuters
19 Sep 2024 12:02

Reuters reports a decline in permits issued by Berlin to export weapons to "Israel" in the past months.

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German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (R) and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speak during a joint press conference following talks at the Chancellery in Berlin, on March 16, 2023. (AFP)

Germany denied suspending permits for weapons exports to the Israeli occupation and emphasized that no such decision would be made, shutting down reports that had circulated recently that Berlin's arms shipments to the entity have slowed.

This comes shortly following a Reuters report that claimed that the German government will halt weapons sales to "Israel" as it addresses some legal obstacles.

The report referenced a data analysis by the news agency and a source close to the Economy Ministry, indicating that government officials halted the approval of export licenses for arms to "Israel". The source said the decision was influenced by legal and political pressure from legal cases saying that such exports from Germany violated humanitarian law.

But a spokesman for the Economic Ministry told the news agency DPA that there is "no ban on arms exports to Israel, and there will be no ban," claiming that the government decides on permits "case by case" and takes into account humanitarian law and the war on Gaza.

Also responding to the Reuters report, a German government spokesperson, Steffen Hebestreit, asserted that there is no "arms export boycott against Israel."

Germany is "Israel's" second major arms supplier behind the US.

In March, the SIPRI institute reported that 69% of "Israel's" arms acquisitions in 2023 came from US corporations, while 30% came from Germany.

According to data from the Economy Ministry cited by Reuters, Germany approved arms exports to "Israel" last year valued at 326.5 million euros ($363.5 million), marking a tenfold increase compared to 2022.

But arms export approvals to "Israel" have significantly decreased this year, with only 14.5 million euros' worth approved between January and August 21, Reuters said in the report, adding that of the 14.5 million euros, just 32,449 euros were for war weapons.

In response to two legal cases, one at the International Court of Justice and another in Berlin by the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights, the government claimed that no war weapons have been exported under licenses issued since the Palestinian Resistance operation on October 7 - except for spare parts related to long-term contracts, the news agency's source said.

However, the issue has caused tension within the government, as the Chancellery continues to back "Israel," while the Greens-led economy and foreign ministries have become more vocal in their criticism of the Israeli government.

Alexander Schwarz, a lawyer with the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights that has filed five lawsuits against the German government, hinted that the notable decrease in arms export approvals for 2024 signals a real, though possibly short-term, hesitation to provide weapons to "Israel".

"However, I would not interpret this as a conscious change in policy," Schwarz said.