The German government has denied that it has suspended permits for arms exports to Israel. Yet for days there have been reports that exports from Germany have fallen dramatically compared to the previous year. Since March of this year, no permits for arms sales have been issued.
Berlin’s hesitations are said to stem from two trials against the German government, accused of selling weapons to Israel in violation of humanitarian law. This is an “uncomfortable” situation for Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who does not want to officially sever ties with Tel Aviv, but neither does he want to be dragged into legal disputes arising from repeated violations of human rights and accusations of genocide against the government led by Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Collapse in German Arms Exports to Israel
On September 18, Reuters reported that Germany had blocked new arms exports to Israel due to legal challenges, citing a source close to the Ministry of Economy. Berlin quickly denied this. “There is no ban on arms exports to Israel, and there will be no ban,” a spokesperson for the Ministry of Economy told the dpa news agency. The spokesperson added that the government decides on arms exports on a case-by-case basis, taking into account humanitarian law and the current situation between Israel and Hamas.
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The conclusions reached by Reuters are also confirmed by other analyses. All of them show a different positioning on the part of Germany towards Israel in terms of weapons. No more permits for arms exports have been issued since March, with numbers already decreasing in the previous months. The national press claims that in fact all sales are now “on hold”. The numbers clarify better. While in 2023 export volumes amounted to 326 million euros, this year the slowdown was abrupt, reaching “only” 14.5 million euros from January to August 21 of this year.
Who decides on arms exports to Germany?
Decisions on arms exports to Germany are the prerogative of the Federal Security Council, a body currently chaired by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and which meets in secret. Since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas in October last year, Germany has allowed arms exports that, as we have seen, exceed 300 million euros. This support has not been confirmed this year.
Of the 14.5 million authorized in 2023, the category “weapons of war” accounted for only 32,449 euros. A source close to the ministry quoted a senior government official as saying that it had suspended work on approving arms export licenses to Israel, pending the resolution of legal cases alleging that such exports from Germany violate humanitarian law. The Economy Ministry did not respond to requests for comment.
The trials against Germany
In its defense in two cases, one before the International Court of Justice and one in Berlin, brought by the European Centre for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR), the German government argued that no weapons of war were exported under any license issued after the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, other than spare parts for long-term contracts.
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At a press conference in Berlin in late July, Scholz said his country had not made a decision on whether to supply weapons to Israel in light of a ruling by the International Court of Justice that the Israeli government had violated international law through its operations in the Palestinian territories. At the time, the German chancellor simply said that each request for arms exports would be assessed individually.
