Israel aid up for debate, says Germany’s Merz amid arms embargo calls

The German government is debating the extent of its aid to Israel, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Tuesday, amid calls for a weapons embargo over the war in Gaza.

“We are in close contact and dialogue with the Israeli government,” Merz said in Turku at a joint press conference with Finland’s Prime Minister Petteri Orpo.

While Berlin has steadfastly supported Israel since the October 7, 2023, attacks by the Palestinian militant group Hamas, German leaders have stepped up demands in recent days for Israel to allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza and to support the territory’s civilian population.

In response to a question on the possibility of Germany suspending arms deliveries to Israel, Merz said the extent of support is “the subject of internal consultations within the German government” that have not yet been finalized.

“We will first discuss this within the federal government and then make decisions,” said the chancellor, who took office earlier this month.

SPD politicians call for a stop to arms exports

Politicians from the Social Democratic Party (SPD) – the junior partner in the coalition government in Berlin – are increasingly calling for an end to arms exports to Israel as a consequence of its military action in the Gaza Strip.

“I believe it would be the right decision to refrain from arms deliveries as a matter of principle,” former SPD parliamentary group leader Rolf Mützenich told Deutschlandfunk radio. The federal government must discuss this in detail with parliament, he added.

The leader of the SPD’s youth wing the Young Socialists, Philipp Türmer, and former party leader Norbert Walter-Borjans expressed similar views.

“There must be no further violations of international law. Suspending arms deliveries is an important lever for the Federal Republic to exert pressure and a building block for resolving the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza,” Türmer told the Tagesspiegel newspaper.

Walter-Borjans told the newspaper that Germany’s responsibility towards Israel required it to convince the country to reverse its misguided course. Suspending arms deliveries for purposes contrary to international law was an essential part of this, he said.

Rare harsh words aimed at Israel

Merz on Monday issued a rare rebuke to Israel, warning that “if lines are crossed, where international humanitarian law is really being violated, then Germany, the German chancellor, must also say something about it.”

“Frankly, I no longer understand the Israeli army’s actions in the Gaza Strip or what their goal is,” he said. “Causing such suffering to the civilian population, as has been increasingly the case in recent days, can no longer be justified by the fight against Hamas terrorism.”

Israel has launched another offensive in Gaza, with dozens of deaths reported in the war-torn coastal territory daily.

The move has sparked international condemnation, amid warnings that the 2 million Palestinians in Gaza are facing the risk of starvation due to Israel’s recent blockade of humanitarian aid.

Some countries, including Spain, have floated the idea of imposing an arms embargo on Israel over the situation in the sealed-off Palestinian territory.

Ambassador: Israel listens to Merz

Merz’s comments have raised eyebrows, with Israel’s ambassador to Germany saying on Tuesday that his government takes the criticism seriously.

“When Friedrich Merz voices this criticism of Israel, we listen very carefully because he is a friend,” ambassador Ron Prosor told broadcaster ZDF.

Prosor stressed his country’s determination to eliminate Hamas, arguing Israel cannot build a future as long as the Islamist terrorist organization still exists. “They want to wipe us out,” he said.

The ambassador said Hamas had once again fired rockets at Israel on Tuesday, noting that a ceasefire could have been struck “yesterday” if the hostages held in Gaza were released, but accused Hamas of standing in the way.

“They have turned schools into weapons depots, mosques into barracks and hospitals into command centres,” he charged.

Wadephul warns Israel not to pressure Berlin

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul warned the Israeli government not to use accusations of anti-Semitism to pressure Berlin amid mounting German criticism of Israel’s conduct in Gaza.

The German government’s fight against anti-Semitism and its full support for Israel’s right to exist “must not be exploited for the conflict, for the warfare that is currently being waged in the Gaza Strip,” Wadephul said at a conference in Berlin.

“Despite all the difficulties that exist there, we as the German government will not allow ourselves to be put under political pressure and put in a position where we have to show forced solidarity,” he said.

“Israel naturally has the right to take action against the Islamist Hamas, which is still holding Israeli hostages,” Wadephul emphasized.

But “the duration, the severity and the consistency” of Israeli military action in Gaza have lacked “proportionality,” he said.

It is also completely unacceptable that the civilian population has not been supplied with basic foodstuffs and medicine, the minister said.

Jewish leader calls for ‘caution’

Meanwhile, the Central Council of Jews in Germany has called for “caution” amid the mounting criticism.

“I call for caution in the debate: Politicians should avoid using anti-Semitic narratives that relativize hatred of Jews by referring to Israel’s conduct of the war,” Central Council President Josef Schuster told dpa on Tuesday.

Schuster said he did not oppose Merz’s comments, agreeing that “civilian casualties must be minimized as much as possible and humanitarian aid for the civilian population in Gaza is necessary.”

But he warned that the fight against the Hamas “terrorist militia” is existential for Israel, and said that Jews in Germany must not be collectively made responsible for the Israeli military’s actions.

“This exonerates all the Jew-haters who follow precisely this anti-Semitic logic,” said Schuster. “The result is a normalization of Israel-related anti-Semitism, which worries the Jewish community in Germany.”

“In this fight, Germany must stand unwaveringly by Israel’s side,” he added.

Schuster said Hamas bears responsibility for the suffering in Gaza, and could end it by releasing the hostages and laying down its weapons.