Following reports that surfaced regarding a halt by Germany of weapons export to Israel, Berlin denies the news.
The German government denied on Wednesday any halt of weapons to Israel after reports circulated that it stopped arms export authorization to Tel Aviv, Euro News reported.
“There is no moratorium on arms exports to Israel, and there will be no moratorium,” a spokesman for the German Ministry of Economic Affairs was quoted by Israel’s Haaretz newspaper as saying.
“The federal government decides on the granting of authorizations for arms exports on a case-by-case basis, considering the current situation and taking into account foreign and security policy considerations in accordance with legal and political requirements,” the spokesman added according to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
Earlier on Wednesday, Reuters news agency quoted an unidentified source close to the German Ministry of Economy as saying that Germany halted “new exports of weapons of war to Israel while it deals with legal challenges.”
Exclusive: Germany put a hold on new exports of weapons of war to Israel while it deals with legal challenges, according to a @Reuters analysis of data and a source close to the Economy Ministry https://t.co/kZjzZ1oWrE
— Reuters (@Reuters) September 18, 2024
The source said that the halt on arms export licenses to Israel is “due to legal and political pressure from legal cases arguing that such exports from Germany breached humanitarian law,” Reuters reported.
The report was picked by several news outlets before it was denied by the spokesman for the German Ministry of Economic Affairs.
Arms Sale to Israel
A Berlin court dismissed on June 12 an urgent request by several Palestinians from Gaza to stop the approval of German arms exports to Israel, citing potential violations of humanitarian law.
Supported by organizations including the European Legal Support Centre (ELSC), Law for Palestine, and the Palestine Institute for Public Diplomacy, the plaintiffs argued that there was evidence of such violations in Israel’s actions against Palestinians in the enclave.
However, the Berlin administrative court ruled that the plaintiffs did not demonstrate that any arms export decisions were pending, noting that Germany had not issued any this year.
German's economy minister says his government will take a closer look at whether weapons it supplies to Israel might have been used in violation of international law https://t.co/cgEyiSKDkF
— Bloomberg (@business) September 19, 2024
The court also stated that Germany was unlikely to approve exports that would violate international humanitarian law.
Germany approved arms exports to Israel worth €326 million ($354 million) in 2023, ten times more than in 2022.
However, approvals dropped to around €10 million in the first quarter of this year, according to Economy Ministry data.
Gaza’s Ongoing Genocide
Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza.
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 41,252 Palestinians have been killed, and 95,497 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.
Moreover, at least 11,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.
Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
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