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Two countries with a very charged history/ Where is the limit of Germany's solidarity with Israel?

2025-05-28 10:22:05Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Two countries with a very charged history/ Where is the limit of Germany's
Friedrich Merz and Benjamin Netanyahu during a meeting in 2024

Criticism of Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip is growing stronger in Germany. Calls to ban arms shipments to Israel have increased. Chancellor Merz is also critical.

It was no great surprise that German Chancellor Friedrich Merz was asked about Israel's behavior in the war in the Gaza Strip at the WDR Radio European Forum in Berlin.

It can be assumed that Merz chose his words carefully when he replied that he "did not understand what the Israeli army was currently doing in the Gaza Strip" and that "this could not be justified by the fight against Hamas terror."

He warned the Israeli government not to do anything “that even its best friends would no longer be able to accept.” Merz has never publicly criticized Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip in this way.

German government under pressure

The Chancellor's statements come at a time when the current line of the German government towards Israel is exposed to increasing public pressure. According to current polls, a majority of the German population does not accept Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip, which include military actions but also a reduction in humanitarian aid. The Social Democrats (SPD) parliamentary group, which is part of the government, is meanwhile demanding a ban on arms shipments to Israel.

This demand has long been formulated in the opposition. The Left Party parliamentary group is demanding a complete ban on arms shipments. The Greens want to stop only the shipments of weapons used in the war in the Gaza Strip.

The international community is also discussing a possible ban on arms shipments to Israel. The Spanish government is in favor of this. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadepfule rejected the Spanish proposal during his visit to Madrid. His party colleague, the Christian Democrat Armin Laschet, who chairs the Bundestag's Foreign Affairs Committee, is also still in favor of "quiet diplomacy."

Germany is sending submarines and corvettes

German military support for Israel has a long tradition and is rooted in German guarantees of the Jewish state's security. For example, German submarines have been in service with the Israeli navy for many years and, according to independent media reports, can even carry nuclear warheads.

A few years ago, Germany sent Israel extremely modern corvettes, which are now also in use off the coast of the Gaza Strip. Another example is Israeli tanks that have German engines and German gun barrels installed.

Millions of dollars in arms exports to Israel

Last year, the German government approved arms exports to Israel worth a total of 161 million euros. In the first quarter of this year, exports amounted to 28 million euros. This places Israel in tenth place among the countries to which Germany exports arms and military equipment. The Federal Security Council, which consists of the German chancellor, the relevant ministries and ministers, decides on the shipments. The sessions of this body are secret.

Will the German government limit future arms exports to Israel? Would Germany join the sanctions that the European Union would impose on Israel, or would it not block them? The government is still avoiding such measures. With its tough statements, Berlin is increasing the pressure on the Israeli leadership and hopes that it will surrender.

German government representatives have repeatedly stressed that more humanitarian aid needs to be provided to the Gaza Strip. "Too little, too late," said a spokeswoman for the German Foreign Ministry, praising the supplies to the Palestinian population.

German Chancellor Merz will probably discuss this with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a telephone conversation scheduled for this week./ DW


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