Armor debate: Almost half a billion euros approved for Israel!

Armor debate: Almost half a billion euros approved for Israel!

Since the attack by Hamas on Israel almost 20 months ago, the federal government has approved arms exports worth almost half a billion euros to Israel. In the period from October 7, 2023 to May 13, 2025, the total value of the approved armaments goods was 485.1 million euros, as can be seen from a response from the Ministry of Economic Affairs to a request from the left faction. In an interview, Foreign Minister Johann WadePhul questioned the further permits and emphasized that the situation in the Gaza Strip had to be examined in accordance with humanitarian international law. Discussions about German armaments to Israel have been underway for months.

whether the new government of Union and the SPD issued export permits after taking office on May 6, 2025 remains unclear. Meanwhile, Nicaragua filed a lawsuit against Germany at the International Court of Justice and accused him of aid for genocide. An urgent application Nicaragua, which demanded the immediate setting of the deliveries, was rejected at the end of April 2024. Voices from the left faction, as from defense politician Ulrich Thoden, demand the immediate setting of all arms deliveries to Israel.

legal disputes

In a parallel legal procedure, five Palestinians from Gaza tried to stop arms exports according to Israel in urgent procedure. The Administrative Court of Frankfurt am Main rejected its application as "inadmissible and unfounded". The Federal Government has a broad discretion of arms exports, also taking into account state rates and international law. Critics accuse Israel of violating humanitarian international law and committing war crimes. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has applied for arrest warrants against leading those responsible for Israel and Hamas, due to serious allegations such as the starvation of civilians and targeted attacks on civilians.

In addition, South Africa Israel sued before the International Court of Justice for a violation of the Völkermur Convention. This Court of Justice has asked Israel to take measures to prevent genocide, while the Federal Government continues to approved arms exports to Israel after individual cases. The decline in arms exports to Israel is significant. In 2023, Germany approved arms exports worth 326 million euros, while only 14.5 million euros were approved by the end of August 2024.

Current developments

The decision of the Frankfurt Administrative Court clarifies that the applicants had no qualified need for legal protection. The Federal Government has the obligation to protect foreign citizens in war zones, but only under certain conditions. The court found that reports from UN organizations are not sufficient to support the allegations of international law violations. The applicants are currently examining possible legal remedies for the judgment. In addition, a new arms export control law that is intended to enable an association for NGOs is in preparation.

The future of arms exports to Israel remains uncertain, especially in the light of the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and the ongoing international legal disputes. Experts and observers will follow further development.

Further information on arms exports can be found on Bundesag.de .

For more information about the latest armaments debates, we refer to merkur.de and lto.de .