German arms exports to Israel dry up

After the US, the European nation was once the second-largest exporter of weapons to Israel

Germany had supplied engines for Israel's Merkava tanks but its military exports to the country have dwindled. AFP

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German arms exports to Israel appear to have slowed down significantly while sales to other countries surge, latest figures show.

Between January and September, total German arms and military exports reached $12.15 billion, nearly the same amount as the whole of last year.

The figures, released by the Federal Economy Ministry, reveal Germany exported about $7.95 billion worth of combat weapons and $4.19 billion of other military equipment.

After the US, Germany was once the second-biggest supplier of arms sales to Israel and sold it $354.4 million worth of equipment last year, a ten-fold increase from 2022.

But these have dwindled since the early weeks of the war in Gaza and the latest figures show sales to Israel do not feature in the top 10 importers of German hardware.

In response to a recent parliamentary question, the ministry revealed only $16 million worth of exports were approved from January to August, with only $35,812 in actual weapons for fighting.

Exports have included engines for its Merkava tanks and Namer armoured personnel carriers, as well as Matador anti-tank weapons believed to have been used in the Gaza Strip.

The ministry has said there is no ban on arms exports to Israel and there would not be one, with decisions made case-by-case after careful review, adding that international law, foreign and security policy were key factors in their assessments.

The issue of arms sales to Israel has created friction within the government as Chancellor Olaf Scholz maintains his support for Israel while the Greens-led economy and foreign ministries have increasingly criticised the government of Benjamin Netanyahu.

Alexander Schwarz, a lawyer who has filed five lawsuits against the German government for arms sales to Israel, suggested the significant decline in approvals for 2024 indicated a genuine, though possibly temporary, reluctance to supply weapons to the country.

"However, I would not interpret this as a conscious change in policy," said Mr Schwarz, from the European Centre for Constitutional and Human Rights.

The report found the largest recipient of German arms is now Ukraine, with $7.84 billion in arms sales approved to Kyiv, more than double the $3.64 billion value recorded over the same period last year.

Singapore bought $1.32 billion worth of military equipment, followed by Algeria ($615 million), the US ($271 million) and India ($233 million).

A number of countries, including Canada, Spain and the Netherlands, have announced curbs on weapons sales to Israel amid pressure from the UN, domestic voters and pro-Palestinian campaigners.

The International Court of Justice this year refused a bid by Nicaragua for an emergency order restraining Germany's actions over fears of genocide in Gaza.

Judges accepted Germany's case that its arms sales to Israel are limited, strictly controlled and have shrunk since the early weeks of the war which began on October 7.

The 16-judge panel also declined to order that Germany make payments to Palestinian aid agency UNRWA, saying these were voluntary.

However, Germany failed to have the case alleging complicity in genocide thrown out completely, meaning it will move to a further round of arguments.