Arms exports to Israel would now be treated as “individual decisions based on individual case evaluations”, as is the case with exports to other countries.
BERLIN: Germany is to remove restrictions it placed in August on arms exports to Israel which could be used in the Gaza Strip, the government announced Monday.
“The restrictions on arms exports to Israel… will be lifted,” government spokesman Sebastian Hille told reporters, adding that the decision “will take effect on 24 November”.
He said that arms exports to Israel would now be treated as “individual decisions based on individual case evaluations”, as is the case with exports to other countries.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz justified the original decision to restrict exports in August as a reaction to plans announced by the Israeli government at the time for an escalation in its Gaza City offensive.
“We have always stated that we would review this practice in light of developments on the ground,” Hille said on Monday.
“Since 10 October, there has been a ceasefire in Gaza, which has also fundamentally stabilised,” he added, saying that “this forms the basis for this decision” to lift the restrictions.
“We expect everyone to adhere to the agreements that have been made,” Hille said, including “maintaining the ceasefire, providing large-scale humanitarian aid”.
In a statement posted on X, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said: “I welcome Chancellor Merz’s move to revoke the decision regarding the partial “embargo”.”
He called on “other governments to adopt similar decisions”.
Germany has been one of Israel’s staunchest supporters as it seeks to atone for the legacy of the Holocaust.
But in recent months, Merz has occasionally delivered sharp critiques of Israeli policy as German public opinion turns against Israel’s actions.
In one poll from September, 62 percent of Germans said they believed Israel’s actions in Gaza constituted a genocide.
