Germany has suspended new arms exports to Israel amid ongoing legal challenges, as reported by data analyzed by Reuters and corroborated by a source within the German Economy Ministry.
Last year, Germany markedly increased its arms exports to Israel, sanctioning weapons and military equipment valued at €326.5 million ($363.5 million), a tenfold increase from 2022.
However, approvals have plummeted in 2023, with only €14.5 million authorized from January to August 21, including a mere €32,449 categorized under “weapons of war.”
A source affiliated with the Economy Ministry indicated that the approval process for arms exports to Israel has been suspended pending the resolution of legal challenges asserting that such exports violate humanitarian law.
The German government is currently defending two cases concerning this matter—one before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and another in Berlin, initiated by the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR).
The government contends that no weapons of war have been exported under any license since the onset of Israel’s genocide in Gaza, apart from spare parts related to long-term contracts.
Tensions surrounding arms exports have exacerbated divisions within the German government. While the Chancellery maintains its support for Israel, the Economy and Foreign Ministries, led by the Greens, have increasingly expressed concerns, influenced by mounting criticism from party members.
Legal challenges across Europe have prompted other nations to suspend or halt arms exports to Israel.
Earlier this year, the United Kingdom suspended 30 arms export licenses, and a Dutch court mandated the cessation of F-35 fighter jet parts exports to Israel due to apprehensions regarding their potential use in Gaza.
Although President Joe Biden’s administration temporarily paused certain bomb shipments, it has continued to deliver other munitions to Israel, effectively facilitating the ongoing violence in Gaza.
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