Germany’s arms exports to Israel are controversial. They are not enough for the Union. Now there are new figures: The government recently approved significantly more. But an important question remains open.
Berlin – The federal government has approved arms exports worth around 31 million euros for Israel in the past eight weeks. That is more than twice as much as in the first seven and a half months of the year. This emerges from a current report by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and previous answers to parliamentary questions.
Exports worth 45.74 million euros allowed this year
According to the ministry’s report to the Economic Committee, which is available to the German Press Agency in Berlin, approvals worth 45.74 million euros were granted by October 13th. As of August 21st, the total value was 14.46 million euros, according to a response from the ministry to a request from BSW MPs. These are preliminary figures that can be corrected later.
It is unclear whether the approved goods include military weapons. The ministry does not provide any information on this, citing the confidentiality of Federal Security Council decisions. The report to the committee mentions categories of goods that include, among other things, ammunition, bombs and warships. Instead of permits for weapons deliveries, these can also be permits for the delivery of spare parts, for example.
Ministry: There is no export ban
“There is no ban on arms exports to Israel,” the ministry emphasized again in its report to the committee. Approvals are decided on a case-by-case basis and in light of the respective situation. “In doing so, the Federal Government takes into account compliance with international humanitarian law as well as the current situation in the region, including the escalation caused by Iran’s rocket attacks on Israel, the attacks by Hamas and Hezbollah on Israel and the course of the operation in Gaza and Lebanon.”
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) announced further arms deliveries to Israel in the Bundestag on Thursday. Representatives of the CDU and CSU had previously accused the federal government of lacking support for Israel and explicitly referred to arms deliveries.
Between March and August 21, at least, the federal government no longer approved exports of war weapons to Israel, according to responses from the Federal Ministry of Economics to inquiries from Bundestag member Sevim Dagdelen from the Alliance Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW). dpa
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