Germany said on Monday that it would lift a partial suspension on arms exports to Israel that it imposed back in August on weapons that could be used in Gaza.
German government spokesman Sebastian Hille said Berlin would revert to its previous policy starting on November 24. “The government will, as a general rule, revert to case-by-case reviews in decisions on arms exports and respond to further developments,” he said.
Hille said that the US-brokered ceasefire deal, which Israel has repeatedly violated, was the “basis for this decision, and we expect everyone to abide by the agreements that have been made,” which he said includes “maintaining the ceasefire.”
Germany is the second largest arms supplier after the United States, which continued unrestricted arms exports to Israel throughout its genocidal war. According to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), from 2019 to 2023, the US and Germany accounted for 99% of Israel’s arms imports, with the US providing 69% and Germany providing 30%.
While Germany said that it suspended the shipment of weapons that Israel could use in Gaza, it continued to provide weapons that it considered “defensive.” According to the German news agency dpa, Berlin authorized fresh arms exports to Israel worth at least $2.89 million in September.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said that he “welcomed” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s decision to resume all arms exports to Israel. “I call on other governments to adopt similar decisions, following Germany,” Sa’ar wrote on X.
