8 saat önce

Yes Tel Aviv, No Tel Aviv: Is Germany still standing by Israel?

Though there has been a marked decrease in the sale of weapons to Israel, the German ministry still denies imposing arms ban on Tel Aviv.

AP

Germany's sales accounted for 30 percent of imports between 2019 and 2023. / Photo: AP

Forty-three countries, including Germany, abstained from voting on a resolution on Wednesday calling for Israel's withdrawal from occupied Palestinian territories within a year in the largest UN body, which has 193 member states.

Germany is not only facing criticism for its stance on Israel's war on Gaza but also for its arms sales to Tel Aviv. Germany is widely seen as the second largest arms exporter to Israel behind the US.

Germany's sales accounted for 30 percent of imports between 2019 and 2023, according to SIPRI.

In 2022, Israel signed a $3.3 billion deal with Germany to buy three advanced, Dakar-class diesel submarines, which were expected to be delivered from 2031 onwards. They will replace the German-built Dolphin-class submarines currently operated by the Israeli Navy.

The German government said in January that the sales comprised $364 million worth of military equipment and $22.46M of "war weapons".

The latter included 3,000 portable anti-tank weapons and 500,000 rounds of ammunition for automatic or semi-automatic firearms.

At the start of Israel's war on Gaza last year, Germany granted Israel arms exports totalling a value of more than $364 million, which was a 10-fold increase from 2022, according to data from the Economy Ministry, which approves export licences.

However, approvals have dropped this year, with only $16 million worth granted from January to August 21, according to data provided by the Economy Ministry in response to a parliamentary question.

Of this, the weapons of war category accounted for only $36,250.

A source close to the Economy Ministry in Germany said on Wednesday that it has put a hold on new exports of weapons of war to Israel while it deals with legal challenges, according to Reuters.

However, the Economy Ministry said on Thursday there was no ban on arms exports to Israel and there would not be one, with decisions made case-by-case after careful review, adding that international law and foreign and security policy were key factors in their assessments.