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Germany's Scholz rushes to assure 'Israel' of no arms ban, new exports

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
10 Oct 2024 19:00

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz affirms that his government has not decided to stop delivering weapons to "Israel" and will provide some soon.

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German Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrives for the cabinet meeting of the government at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP)

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz denied on Thursday allegations that Berlin had effectively halted arms exports to "Israel", emphasizing that further defense supplies would be sent shortly.

His stance contrasts with that of French President Emmanuel Macron, who recently suggested an arms embargo on equipment for use in Gaza, prompting a sharp response from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Speaking to the German parliament, Scholz said, "We have not decided to stop delivering weapons. We have delivered weapons and we will deliver weapons."

He also noted that steps had been taken to ensure that additional deliveries would happen soon, though he did not specify the type of equipment.

During a parliamentary debate on the events of October 7, 2023, Conservative opposition leader Friedrich Merz accused the German government of delaying approval for new arms shipments to "Israel" for several months.

Germany, which has historically pledged strong support for "Israel" in light of the Holocaust, has faced some tensions in its relationship with "Israel" since the start of the war on Gaza. While Germany has aligned with other Western nations in calling for ceasefires in Gaza and Lebanon, where Hezbollah is confronting the Israeli occupation forces, Merz claimed that there were "cracks in Germany's solidarity" with Israel.

He pointed out that for months, "the government has been refusing to grant export permits for the delivery of ammunition and even for the delivery of spare parts for tanks to Israel."

Rolf Muetzenich, the parliamentary leader of Scholz's SPD party, defended the government’s position, affirming that Germany was providing "Israel" with both military support and humanitarian and financial aid, stressing that the export of military equipment must adhere to international humanitarian law.

Meanwhile, Sahra Wagenknecht, a far-left opposition politician, strongly criticized Germany's arms deliveries to "Israel", arguing that they are "aiding and abetting war crimes."

While saying that "Israel has the right to protect itself and its citizens," she indicated that "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."

Wagenknecht added that "this brutality is being repeated in Lebanon."

"Israel's government, which is partly made up of right-wing radicals, is threatening to plunge an entire region into the abyss. There must be no weapons from Germany for this," she underscored.

Since the onset of the Israeli war on Gaza, German authorities have cracked down on pro-Palestine events and activists denouncing "Israel's" crimes against the Palestinian people and calling for an arms embargo on the occupation entity.