Germany will review and potentially limit arms deliveries to Israel based on its actions in Gaza, Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said in an interview with Süddeutsche Zeitung published Friday, amid growing international outcry about Israel’s genocidal policies in Palestinian territories.
Wadephul said that Israel had to be able to defend itself against attacks by, for example, the Houthis, Hezbollah or Iran, by means of German weapons systems as well.
“A different issue is whether what is happening in the Gaza Strip is consonant with humanitarian international law,” he told the national daily.
“We are checking this, and based on this evaluation, we will approve further arms deliveries where necessary,” Wadephul said. He indicated that this could lead to a partial halt to deliveries.
Speaking to U.S. broadcaster Fox News on Wednesday, Wadephul said that Germany stood with Israel and had responsibility for the security and existence of Israel in light of German history.
“We have delivered weapons, and we will do so in the future,” he added.
To the Süddeutsche Zeitung, he said that current aid deliveries to Gaza were a drop in the ocean. “This is about ensuring basic human rights. The sick and the weak and the children die first,” Wadephul said.
“As a result, we have changed our language and will also probably change our political action in the next step,” he added.
There has been a shift in relations with Israel, indicated recently by Wadephul and Chancellor Friedrich Merz. They believe Israel has not met its commitment to provide for the Palestinian population via the new Israeli-U.S. distribution plan.
Green Party leader calls for conditional ban on arms exports to Israel
Meanwhile, Germany’s Green Party co-leader Franziska Brantner, called for a weapons export ban on Israel if it is proven that these arms are being used in Gaza in violation of international law.
“No German weapons may be used in Gaza in violation of international law, and therefore an export ban is needed,” Brantner told Der Spiegel news magazine.
According to her, the German government must follow up on Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s criticism of Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip with action.
“If the Chancellor’s finding is that Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip violate international humanitarian law, then this must have consequences for German foreign policy,” she added.
Whether German weapons are being used for self-defense or to expel the Palestinian civilian population is not always easy to verify, Brantner pointed out.
“But if we want to equally fulfill our responsibility for Israel’s security and international law, we must make this distinction.”
She proposed more consistent action against Israeli settlement policy, as well as tougher sanctions against “individuals who directly commit or order violent crimes against the Palestinian population, including in the West Bank.”
This could also affect Israeli ministers such as Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich or Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, she said.
A majority of Germans oppose weapons exports to Israel, according to a new poll released Tuesday, as international criticism mounts over Israel’s military offensive in Gaza and restrictions on humanitarian aid to Palestinians.
The Civey survey for the Der Tagesspiegel newspaper found that 51% of respondents are against arms deliveries to Israel, with opposition particularly strong among left-wing voters, where four out of five oppose such exports.
Among Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democrats, 34% said they were against weapons exports to Israel, while 22% were undecided. Within the coalition partner Social Democrats, 48% considered weapons exports to Israel wrong.
The poll also revealed growing public demand for Berlin to distance itself from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. Some 44% of respondents favored a more critical stance toward Israel, up from 33% in summer 2023. In contrast, only 23% advocated for even closer ties with the Israeli government.
The poll also revealed that roughly two-thirds of Germans want their government to press Israel to allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza. This sentiment was especially strong among older Germans, with nearly three-quarters of those over 65 supporting increased political pressure on Israel, compared to half of those aged 18-29.
The survey was conducted between May 23 and May 26, 2025, and included responses from more than 3,000 German citizens aged 18 and above.
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