Germany, Israel’s Second Biggest Ally, Is Stopping The Export Of All Military Equipment That Could Be Used In Gaza
The announcement on Friday Aug. 8 came after the Israeli government approved prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to fully take over Gaza.
Germany, Israel's second biggest ally after the US, has announced that it is halting the export of all military equipment to Israel that could be used in Gaza.
The announcement on Friday Aug. 8 came after the Israeli government approved prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to fully take over Gaza.
Germany is the second biggest exporter of arms to Israel after the US, and supplied 33% of Israel's arms imports between 2020 and 2024, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
Most of the exports were naval equipment, including frigates, or warships, that have been used in Israel's genocide in Gaza, according to Reuters.
Merz said in a statement that although Israel has the right to defend itself from Hamas and that it is essential that Hamas disarms, Netanyahu's latest plan to take over Gaza "makes it increasingly difficult to see how these goals are to be achieved."
"Under these circumstances, the German government will not authorize any exports of military equipment that could be used in the Gaza Strip until further notice," the statement said.
However, the freeze will only affect new arms export approvals, and deliveries from past deals can still go ahead, unless the weapons could be used in Gaza, Politico reported.
The statement said the German government was "deeply concerned" about the suffering of civilians inside the Gaza Strip, saying that the Israeli government must allow for comprehensive aid to enter.
It also urgently called on Israeli government not to take any steps towards annexing the occupied West Bank.
However, the government stopped short of a full arms embargo, meaning that other military systems that are used elsewhere, such as in the occupied West Bank can still be exported to Israel.
Germany has been a steadfast and long-standing support for Israel, based on guilt from the Holocaust.
This has made the relationship a corner of German foreign policy and Germany Israel's most important ally in Europe.
Just days earlier, Slovenia became the first country in the European Union to impose a full arms embargo on Israel, banning Slovenian companies and individuals from importing, exporting and transporting all weapons to and from Israel.
Slovenian prime minister Robert Golob had said repeatedly that the country would act unilaterally in the absence of a concerted effort from the EU.
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