Germany to continue supplying arms to 'Israel': Chancellor
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Despite the numerous violations it has committed, Scholz says his country will continue backing "Israel" and providing it with arms.
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Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrives to an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, October 17, 2024. (AP)
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz reaffirmed Wednesday his government's commitment to arming the Israeli occupation despite the ongoing war on Gaza, which has killed more than 42,200 Palestinian people and displaced over two million people.
In an address to lawmakers in the German parliament, Scholz squarely blamed Hamas for the war, emphasizing that Germany would continue to "stand in solidarity with Israel." He confirmed that arms deliveries to the occupation would persist to ensure its capacity for "self-defense".
"That is why we have supplied weapons and armaments in the past, that is why we are doing this at the moment, and we will continue such deliveries in the future as well. Israel can always rely on us for this," Scholz stated.
His remarks followed reports from local media that Germany had resumed arms exports to the Israeli occupation after receiving assurances from the Israeli government that German weapons would not be used in what has been described as a genocide.
However, Scholz's decision has faced resistance from within his own ruling coalition, with the Greens Party having previously blocked weapons exports to the Israeli occupation, fearing violations of international law.
Germany has long been a steadfast ally of "Israel" throughout all of its onslaughts, with officials frequently citing the country's historical responsibility due to its Nazi past. However, critics argue that the unconditional support for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government is eroding Germany's credibility on the global stage and increasing its diplomatic isolation.
US shares similar sentiment
A senior US official working on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza said the US would not consider withholding weapons from the Israeli occupation to force its hand to allow aid into the Strip, even as the Israeli government continues to block essential aid such as food and medicine from entering the besieged Palestinian territory.
Lise Grande, who leads US humanitarian efforts in Gaza, told aid group leaders in an August 29 meeting attended by over a dozen humanitarian organizations that while the US might explore diplomatic tactics through the United Nations to pressure the Israeli occupation into allowing life-saving aid into Gaza, the Biden administration would continue its support for the regime and would not delay or stop weapons shipments, multiple attendees told Politico.
Politico, who also reviewed notes from the meeting, said one aid official who attended the meeting recounted that Grande emphasized "Israel's" status as part of a "tight circle of very few allies" that the US would not oppose.
She reportedly said, "We can’t play bad cop" with certain allies like "Israel", implying that the US would not withhold any assistance, including military support, from them. Grande's remarks, while made over a month ago, cast doubt on the Biden administration's recent statements suggesting it might reconsider military support for the Israeli occupation due to humanitarian concerns.
Despite concerns voiced by aid representatives that the Israeli occupation's actions could be violations of international humanitarian law, which prohibits restricting humanitarian aid or blocking access in conflict zones, Grande's comments suggested the rules do not apply in the same way to the Israeli occupation.
