Germany denies it put hold on new exports of war weapons to Israel

Germany’s federal government denies yesterday’s Reuters report that Germany has put a hold on new exports of weapons of war to Israel while it deals with legal challenges.

“There is no approval stop for arms exports to Israel, and there will be no stop,” an Economy Ministry spokesman tells the German Press Agency.

“There is no German arms export boycott of any kind to Israel,” another government spokesman tells the agency.

“The Federal Government decides on the granting of licenses for arms exports in individual cases and in the light of the respective situation after careful examination, taking into account foreign and security policy considerations in accordance with the legal and political requirements,” says the Economy Ministry.

“In this individual case analysis, the current situation is always taken into account, including the attacks on Israel by Hamas and Hezbollah as well as the course of the operation in Gaza.”

Reuters reported yesterday that a hold had been put on the exports, basing the claim on an analysis of data and a source close to the Economy Ministry.

Last year, Germany approved arms exports to Israel worth 326.5 million euros ($363.5 million), including military equipment and war weapons, a tenfold increase from 2022, according to data from the Economy Ministry, which approves export licenses.

However, approvals have dropped this year, with only 14.5 million euros’ ($16.1 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 32,449 euros.