Germany expands arms shipments to Israel amid ongoing offensives

Germany is significantly expanding arms deliveries to Israel, Foreign Office figures showed on Thursday.

Since August, approvals for military equipment exports to Israel have totalled €94.05 million.

The figure, seen by dpa, is more than double the €45.74 million in approvals reported last week by the Economy Ministry for the year up to October 13.

Arms deliveries to Israel have been a contentious issue in Germany for several months, and the government's continued exports are likely to add further fuel to the controversy.

The latest figures were disclosed in response to an enquiry from the populist Sahra Wagenknecht Allicance (BSW) party, which opposes the transfers.

Last year, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition government approved shipments of equipment to Israel totalling €326.5 million, which included weapons valued at €20.1 million.

Most of these export permits were issued following the terrorist attacks on Israel by the Palestinian militant group Hamas on October 7, 2023.

However, export licenses were significantly reduced in early 2024.

Earlier parliamentary responses indicated that only €14.42 million in arms had been approved by August 21, with no exports issued from March.

Conservative opposition leader Friedrich Merz, who heads the centre-right Christian Democrats (CDU), accused the government of obstructing export applications from arms manufacturers, including for ammunition and tank spare parts.

The government, however, has consistently stated that there was no ban on arms exports.

During a Bundestag debate on the anniversary of the October 7 attack, Scholz said: "We have delivered weapons and we will deliver weapons."

The latest figures, while stemming from different ministries, indicate that Scholz's commitment is being heeded, and suggest that about €50 million or possibly more in military equipment may have been approved in the last 11 days.

Deliveries cause further controversy in Germany

A survey published on Tuesday suggested that a majority of Germans oppose ongoing deliveries amid Israel's offensives in Gaza and southern Lebanon.

The poll by the Forsa Institute showed that 60% of respondents reject ongoing arms exports to Israel, while 31% support them and 9% remain undecided.

In response to the survey, the Palestinian Authority's diplomatic representative to Germany, Laith Arafeh, said on X: "The majority of Germans oppose arms deliveries to Israel for a good reason: Weapons only deliver death and destruction."

On Thursday, the BSW lawmaker whose enquiry led to the release of the figures said the exports were "irresponsible."

"By providing arms aid to Israel, the [coalition] government is aiding and abetting war crimes in Gaza and Lebanon instead of honouring the majority of the German population's wish for an arms embargo," Sevim Dağdelen said.

Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock defended the government's exports, arguing that the deliveries are not "a contradiction, but two sides of the same coin: the right to self-defence in accordance with international humanitarian law."

Responding to the new figures while in Paris for an international aid conference for Lebanon, Baerbock said that a distinction should be made between weapons and defence equipment.