Scholz promises Israel further supplies of German-made weapons
In the past eight weeks, the German government has approved military equipment and munitions exports to Israel worth around €31 million ($33.7 million), more than twice as much as during the entire rest of the year.
On Wednesday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz promised Israel even further supplies of weapons and other armaments for the country’s ongoing military offensives in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon.
“There are deliveries and there will always be further deliveries. Israel can rely on that,” Scholz said in remarks to Germany’s parliament.
Export licences for German-made armaments worth €45.74 million bound for Israel had been issued by October 13, according to a report from Germany’s Economy Ministry that was provided to a parliamentary committee and obtained by dpa.
As of August 21, the total value stood at €14.46 million, according to a response from the ministry to a parliamentary question posed by lawmakers.
The ministry said the figures are provisional and may be subject to revision or correction.
It is not immediately clear what kinds of armaments and military equipment are included in the shipments to Israel, and the ministry declined to provide further details, citing the confidentiality of decisions on export licences made by the Federal Security Council.
The report cites categories of goods, including ammunition, bombs and warships. However, it is not clear whether the licences are for arms deliveries or delivery of other items such as spare parts.
‘Israel can rely on our solidarity’
In his remarks to parliament, Scholz emphasized that Germany must keep Israel “in a position to defend its country.”
“Israel can rely on our solidarity – now and in the future,” he added.
Scholz noted that the Palestinian militant group Hamas had led brutal and bloody attacks against Israel just over a year ago.
At the same time, Scholz said that humanitarian aid for civilians in the Gaza Strip is still needed and that the rules of international law had to be observed in the conflicts in the Middle East.
He acknowledged that civilians have also died in the conflict, and said that humanity demands that people empathize with all victims.
Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed by Israel’s military offensive, according to figures from the Gaza Health Ministry, which is controlled by Hamas.
Scholz contended that hope for a two-state solution in which Israel would grant Palestinians their own country is also needed.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders have explicitly rejected any such settlement with the Palestinians.
Scholz called for a ceasefire deal in the Gaza Strip that would also include the release of Israeli hostages being held by Hamas and other groups, as well as a ceasefire in northern Israel and southern Lebanon.
Scholz also urged Iran to stop attacking Israel with missiles: “Iran is playing with fire. This must stop.”
Ministry: ‘no ban on arms exports’
Opposition lawmakers from the centre-right CDU/CSU bloc had previously accused Scholz’s government of failing to adequately support Israel.
The opposition critics explicitly alleged that the government was delaying approvals for weapons shipments to Israel.
The Economy Ministry, however, rejected those allegations in the report to the committee obtained by dpa on Wednesday.
“There is no ban on arms exports to Israel,” the ministry reiterated in the report.
Decisions on licences are made on a case-by-case basis and in light of the respective situation, the ministry said.
“In doing so, the federal government takes into account compliance with international humanitarian law and the current situation in the region, including the escalation caused by Iran’s rocket attacks on Israel, the attacks by Hamas and Hezbollah on Israel and the course of the operation in Gaza and Lebanon,” the report says.
