Germany, one of Israel’s key partners in its genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, announced on Friday, 8 August, it will until further notice, “approve no exports of military equipment that could be used in the Gaza Strip.”
But Germany is lying yet again. On the exact same day, the parent company of German submarine manufacturer TKMS said at its AGM that Germany had just issued a license for exporting a submarine to Israel.
We can never trust any German government for obvious reasons. Germany considers shielding Israel from accountability a “reason of state,” which means it lies, deceives, bribes, and bullies to prevent any accountability measures against Israel. Given this and the fact that the latest announcement is so vague and riddled with loopholes, this may well amount to nothing more than cheap posturing.
The BDS movement calls for escalating pressure on the German establishment to end its shameless complicity in Israel’s war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.
In a statement, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz cited Israel’s recent "even tougher military action” as the reason for suspending arms exports. As if 22 months of genocide, siege and starvation were not enough. He made no mention of suspending the current export licenses Germany has issued to Israel.
This announcement is intended to appease a German public that is increasingly opposed to Israel’s depraved criminality against Indigenous Palestinians and increasingly angry at German involvement in yet another genocide. Our collective popular BDS pressure is beginning to work. Make no mistake, people's power brought us here.
Yet, we must maintain civil society pressure to ensure Germany’s announcement is translated into timely concrete action, that it suspends its current export licenses for Israel and that it is held accountable for its lies.
Germany is Israel’s second largest military supplier. Since the beginning of Israel’s genocide against 2.3 million Palestinians in October 2023, Germany has increased its military exports to Israel to over €485 million. German political, academic, cultural and economic leaders have fervently justified Israel’s genocide, and repressed those that call to end impunity and complicity.
In September 2024, Germany claimed to have “stopped approving war-weapons exports to Israel.” Turned out to be yet another German lie! Germany simply takes Israel’s word that German military materiel will not be used on Palestinian bodies, ignoring the by now universally known fact that Israel’s entire establishment lies compulsively.
Still, the global taboo of sanctions against Israel is being shattered, at last.
On July 16 in Bogotá, 12 member states, led by Colombia and South Africa, committed to accountability measures including a comprehensive military and maritime embargo. on Israel, restrictions on public and corporate support for its occupation, and pursuing legal accountability for serious international crimes.
On July 28, Brazil announced a series of restrictions on its bilateral relations with genocidal Israel in the political, legal, diplomatic, military, and commercial spheres.
On July 31, Slovenia became the first EU state to announce a comprehensive ban on the import, export and transit of weapons to and from Israel.
Similarly, the Spanish government has recently announced that it will support legislation in Parliament to directly impose a military embargo against Israel.
Together, it is possible to end this. We call for escalated civil society pressure on all states to impose lawful, targeted sanctions against Israel. This is the most effective way to end Israel’s atrocious crimes against Palestinians in Gaza and everywhere.
The BDS movement calls for escalated civil society pressure on all states, including genocide-addicted Germany, to impose legal and targeted sanctions against Israel.