Germany has refused to deliver weapons to Israel unless it provides a written guarantee that they will not be used to strike civilians in Gaza, media outlets owned by Germany’s Axel Springer publishing house have reported.
Berlin, which has not approved any weapons sales to Israel since March, blocked deliveries despite insisting that the Jewish state is not under an embargo, Politico reported on Monday, confirming a story published over the weekend by German tabloid Bild.
According to Bild, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Economy Minister Robert Habeck were the ones who “blocked new deliveries.” The high-ranking politicians from the Green party reportedly wanted Israel to promise that the weapons would not be used against civilians in Gaza.
“The Israeli government must give the German government a written assurance that arms exports from Germany will not be used for genocide,” Bild said, citing sources in government and defense circles. West Jerusalem reportedly provided the necessary assurances on Thursday.
German law bans the delivery of weapons to countries where there are risks that they could be used against civilians.
“Arms deliveries to Israel are about compliance with the rules of international humanitarian law,” a person familiar with the matter told Politico. “The reason for requesting such a commitment is that a German administrative court could otherwise put a stop to it.”
The revelations sparked criticism from the opposition and the ruling Free Democratic Party, with multiple politicians calling on the Greens and Chancellor Olaf Scholz to clarify the situation with weapons exports.
“Scholz, as the chairman of the Federal Security Council, also bears responsibility here,” Friedrich Merz, the leader of the Christian Democratic Union, told Bild.
Baerbock has publicly backed Israel’s right to defend itself, but stressed in a speech last week that “international humanitarian law and Israel’s right to exist are inextricably linked.”
Israel has been accused of indiscriminately targeting civilians in Gaza, where more than 42,000 Palestinians have been killed since the fighting between Hamas and Israel erupted in October 2023. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has dismissed allegations of committing genocide as “absurd,” arguing that Hamas is using Palestinian civilians as human shields.