Nearly Half a Billion Euros in German Arms Exports to Israel Since October 7 Attack - Jordan News
Since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, Germany has approved arms exports to Israel worth nearly €500 million, sparking widespread controversy and legal challenges. اضافة اعلان According to a German Ministry of Economy response to a parliamentary inquiry by the Left Party, between October 7, 2023, and May 13, 2025, Berlin authorized the export of military weapons and equipment valued at €485.1 million to Israel. The response—signed by State Secretary Bernhard Kluitsch and obtained by Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa)—did not clarify whether the newly installed German government (a coalition of the Christian Democrats and Social Democrats) had issued further licenses after assuming office on May 6, 2025. Review of Arms Policy Germany's new Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul recently cast doubt on the continuation of arms exports to Israel. In an interview with Süddeutsche Zeitung, he said such exports are under review to assess compatibility with international humanitarian law, particularly in light of Israeli actions in Gaza. 'This review will determine whether what is happening in Gaza complies with international humanitarian law,' Wadephul stated. 'Based on that, we will decide whether further arms deliveries are appropriate.' When asked if the review could result in halting exports altogether, he affirmed: 'That is exactly what the wording implies.' Legal and Political Challenges The issue remains legally contentious, as Nicaragua has filed a case against Germany at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, accusing Berlin of complicity in genocide in Gaza due to its arms shipments. In April 2024, ICJ judges rejected an emergency request to halt the deliveries but did not dismiss the case, allowing the proceedings to continue. Domestic Backlash Ulrich Thoden, defense policy expert from the Left Party, called for an immediate halt to all arms shipments to Israel: 'Otherwise, Germany risks being found complicit in crimes prosecutable under international law.'
The case continues to stir legal, political, and ethical debate both within Germany and on the international stage.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Roya News
4 hours ago
- Roya News
Macron warns against 'uncontrolled escalation' in Middle East
French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday warned against an "uncontrolled escalation" in the Middle East after the United States joined 'Israel's' campaign against Tehran's atomic programme by bombing Iranian nuclear sites. "No strictly military response can produce the desired effects," Macron told a defence council meeting in Paris. "The resumption of diplomatic and technical discussions is the only way to achieve the goal we all seek, which is to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons," he added. The French leader however did not directly condemn the unprecedented US intervention. After a scheduled visit to Norway on Monday, Macron is on Tuesday due to go to the Netherlands for a NATO summit which US President Donald Trump is also set to attend. In a joint statement with his German and British counterparts, Macron called on Iran "not to take any further action that could destabilise the region" in response to the strikes. Earlier the French leader had urged Tehran to de-escalate and "exercise the utmost restraint" after the strikes in a call with his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian. He said he also told Iran to "renounce nuclear weapons", warning of "the risk of the worst for the entire region".
Roya News
7 hours ago
- Roya News
Hezbollah issues statement on US strikes against Iran nuclear facilities
Hezbollah issued a statement Saturday condemning what it called the "brutal and treacherous" US attack on peaceful nuclear facilities in the Islamic Republic of Iran, describing it as a flagrant violation of international law and a dangerous escalation that threatens to plunge the region and the world into chaos. Hezbollah claimed that the assault, authorized by President Donald Trump, was aimed at accomplishing what 'the Israeli enemy failed to achieve' through its continued military campaign against Iran. The group warned that the move reflects 'full and direct partnership' between the US and Israel in what it called 'wars and crimes' across the region. Earlier this week, the group's leader Naim Qassem said on Thursday that the group would "act as we see fit" in response to the ongoing war between its main backer Iran and 'Israel'. The statement by Qassem came after the US special envoy for Syria warned Hezbollah against getting involved in the war. 'Nonetheless, it remains our duty to stand with Iran and offer every form of support to end this aggression,' the Qassem said in the statement, issued before the US strikes on Iran nuclear facilities.
Roya News
7 hours ago
- Roya News
Iran threatens US bases in response to strikes on nuclear sites
Iran on Sunday threatened US bases in the Middle East after massive air strikes that Washington said had destroyed Tehran's nuclear program, though some officials cautioned that the extent of damage was unclear. International concern intensified that the unprecedented US attacks would deepen conflict in the Middle East after 'Israel' launched a bombing campaign against Iran earlier this month. Ali Akbar Velayati, an advisor to Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said bases used by US forces could be attacked in retaliation. "Any country in the region or elsewhere that is used by American forces to strike Iran will be considered a legitimate target for our armed forces," he said in a message carried by the official IRNA news agency. "America has attacked the heart of the Islamic world and must await irreparable consequences." President Donald Trump urged Iran to end the conflict after he launched surprise "bunker buster" strikes on a key underground uranium enrichment site at Fordo, along with nuclear facilities in Isfahan and Natanz. "We had a spectacular military success yesterday, taking the 'bomb' right out of their hands (and they would use it if they could!)" he said on social media. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told a Pentagon press briefing that Iran's nuclear program was "devastated," adding that the operation "did not target Iranian troops or the Iranian people." Standing beside Hegseth, top US general Dan Caine said "it would be way too early for me to comment on what may or may not still be there." "Initial battle damage assessments indicate that all three sites sustained extremely severe damage and destruction." Tehran protests As Iran's leaders struck a defiant tone, President Masoud Pezeshkian also vowed that the United States would "receive a response" to the attacks. People gathered Sunday in the center of Tehran to protest against US and 'Israeli' attacks, waving flags and chanting slogans. In an address to the nation hours after the attack, Trump had claimed total success for the operation, and Vice President JD Vance followed up on Sunday morning. "We know that we set the Iranian nuclear program back substantially last night," he told ABC. But he also suggested Iran still had its highly enriched uranium. "We're going to work in the coming weeks to ensure that we do something with that fuel," he said. "They no longer have the capacity to turn that stockpile of highly enriched uranium to weapons grade uranium." Another Khamenei advisor, Ali Shamkhani, said in a post on X that "even if nuclear sites are destroyed, game isn't over, enriched materials, indigenous knowledge, political will remain." Rafael Grossi, the head of the UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), told CNN there were clear signs of the hit on Fordo. But no one knows "how much it has been damaged," he said. The IAEA said it had not detected any increase in radiation at the nuclear sites and Tehran said there were no signs of contamination. 'Israeli' Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prayed for Trump at the Western Wall in Jerusalem on Sunday, after hailing the strikes as a move that would "change history." Retaliation risk The 'Israeli' military was also checking the results of the US raid on the deeply buried nuclear facility in Fordo, with a spokesman saying it was uncertain if Iran had already removed enriched uranium from the site. The main US strike group was seven B-2 Spirit bombers that flew 18 hours from the American mainland to Iran, Caine said. In response to the attack, which used over a dozen massive "bunker buster" bombs, Iran's armed forces said they targeted multiple sites in 'Israel' including Ben Gurion airport, the country's main international gateway near Tel Aviv. 'Israeli' rescuers said at least 23 people were wounded. In Jerusalem, Claudio Hazan, a 62-year-old software engineer, said he hoped the US intervention would hasten an end to the Iran-'Israel' war. "Israel by itself would not stop... and it would take longer," he said. At least nine members of the Revolutionary Guards were killed Sunday in 'Israeli' attacks on central Iran, local media reported, as fighting between the two foes continued. 'Israeli' strikes on Iran have killed more than 400 people since they began, Iran's health ministry said. Iran's attacks on 'Israel' have killed 24 people, according to official figures. The United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Oman, which had been mediating Iran-US nuclear talks, criticized the US strikes and called for de-escalation. The leaders of France, Germany and Britain urged Iran "not to take any further action that could destabilize the region" and UN chief Antonio Guterres warned of a cycle of retaliation. Iran's Houthi allies in Yemen on Sunday repeated their threat to resume attacks in the Red Sea if Washington joined the war, saying they were ready to target US ships. The US president had stepped up his rhetoric against Iran since 'Israel' first struck the country on June 13, repeating his insistence it could never have nuclear weapons.
