Germany, long opposed to E.U. pressure on Israel, suspends arms shipments

[Celerity]

The E.U. said it would punish Israel for its war in Gaza, where people are starving, but so far has refrained from even symbolic action as a bloc.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/08/08/israel-germany-eu-gaza-starvation/

https://archive.ph/YYxVo



BRUSSELS — Germany, a staunch supporter of Israel and its largest weapons supplier after the United States, said Friday that it would not approve new weapons exports to Israel “that could be used in the Gaza Strip until further notice.” The announcement by Chancellor Friedrich Merz came as Berlin has been under pressure from European neighbors and public opinion at home.

It was not immediately clear which weapons exports would stop or if any shipments were imminent. But even if it stops short of a full arms embargo, Friday’s decision is a big policy shift for Germany, given its relationship with Israel, which is shaped by historical guilt over the Holocaust.

Since the European Union announced a deal with Israel in July to let more food into Gaza, aid groups say, dozens of people have starved to death in the Palestinian enclave. Still, the E.U. as a bloc has refrained from imposing penalties on Israel, even as Brussels says famine is stalking “virtually the entire Gaza population,” and after a recent review warned of an Israeli siege weaponizing starvation.

Germany has been — and, so far, remains — a key holdout of efforts to pressure Israel at the European Union. The 27-nation E.U. — Israel’s biggest trading partner — has threatened action since May. The E.U.’s diplomatic service launched a review that found Israel breached human rights obligations, and officials drafted options including suspending trade ties and placing sanctions on ministers.

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