Germany to resume arms sales to the Israeli regime

According to Reuters, quoting an unnamed German official, the German government will lift the order that had suspended the sale of certain weapons to Israel beginning next week, following last month’s Gaza ceasefire agreement.

 The German government spokesperson stated that Berlin will henceforth make decisions on arms exports based on case-by-case assessments and will respond accordingly to future developments. This decision will allow the suspension order—introduced in August—to be lifted as of 24 November.

Germany is the second-largest arms supplier to the Israeli regime after the United States, and in August, amid public pressure over the Gaza war, it suspended the sale of certain weapons to the regime.

Berlin’s decision to ban arms exports to Israel affected the sale of weapons and systems that could be used in the Gaza war, but did not include weapons that Tel Aviv claimed it needed for self-defense in external attacks.

This comes as Germany has refrained from taking strong measures against the Israeli regime or recognizing an independent Palestinian state, and has instead cracked down on pro-Palestinian supporters.

Last month, UN experts warned in a report about the repression of pro-Palestinian supporters in Germany, noting that the activities of Palestinian solidarity movements have become increasingly restricted in the European country.