Germany Dramatically Reduces Arms Exports to Israel

Germany faces legal protests against its approval of arms exports to Israel. (Jewish Policy Center)

Germany appears to have ceased exporting weapons of war to Israel, according to a new investigation conducted by Reuters. The report comes in the wake of a series of legal cases raised against Germany and disagreement within the government over whether to continue allowing exports given the rising death toll in Gaza, reveals a source familiar with the Economy Ministry. 

Officials from both the Economy Ministry and the government have denied these claims. In response to the Reuters report, government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit said, “There is no German arms export boycott against Israel.” Despite this response, there is no denying that approved arms exports have significantly decreased in the last year, revealing a change in German policy. 

In the wake of the October 7 attack, Germany approved the export of $363.5 million USD worth of arms to Israel, $20 million of which were offensive weapons. In the year since the conflict began, that number has decreased by $349 million. Germany only approved around $16.15 million of arms exports this year, the lowest total since 2004, and of those approved, only around $36,000 were offensive weapons. Sources from the German arms industry reported to Shomrim that they have faced difficulties gaining the licenses needed to export arms to Israel as, for the last six months, no company has received any of these licenses. 

This decrease comes as a surprise, as support for Israel has traditionally been a cornerstone of German foreign policy. Olaf Scholz, the chancellor of Germany, made repeated statements of support towards Israel even as it continued its offensive in Rafah. However, recent international rulings such as the ICJ’s decision that Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory broke international law and Nicaragua’s failed ICJ bid protesting Germany’s arms exports, as well as other humanitarian cases, have raised questions within the German government over its continued role in the Israel-Hamas war. As the Chancellory continues its support of Israel, both the Economic and Foreign Ministry, which are controlled by the Greens, have become more critical of Israel’s actions. 

However, Germany has continued its arms exports to Qatar, a point that has raised criticism amongst Israeli news organizations because Qatar has been a major player in ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas. Germany’s continued backing of Qatar marks a stark policy shift as the state appears to distance itself from Israel, putting the future of German-Israeli relations into question.