German newspaper Bild dropped a political bombshell on Sunday, alleging that the German government has been deliberately obstructing arms supplies to Israel for months, flying in the face of repeated denials of any such embargo.
The explosive issue of halting arms sales to Israel erupted in a heated debate in the Bundestag on Thursday. Friedrich Merz, leader of the main opposition party CDU, lobbed a scathing accusation at the ruling coalition, charging them with stonewalling export licenses for crucial ammunition and tank spare parts "for weeks and months." The allegation prompted Chancellor Olaf Scholz to make an impromptu dash to the microphone, declaring emphatically: "We have supplied weapons, and we will continue to supply weapons."
However, the reality on the ground tells a different story. Since March, Germany has not greenlit a single license for arms exports to Israel. Bild now unveils the alleged reason behind this de facto embargo: new arms supplies to Israel were reportedly blocked in the shadowy chambers of the Federal Security Council. This secretive body, comprising the chancellor and senior ministers from all coalition parties, holds the power to approve or reject new arms deals behind closed doors. Multiple sources within the German government and security circles confirmed to Bild that the freeze on arms supplies was instigated at the behest of two Green Party heavyweights – Minister of Economy Robert Habeck and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock. Israel has been left empty-handed, receiving no German weapons for months.
Publicly, the German Ministry of Economy maintained a different stance. Responding to Bild's probing last month, they insisted: "There is no embargo on arms exports to Israel; each request is examined on its own merits." But behind the scenes, a different narrative was unfolding. Urgent Israeli pleas for weapons and spare parts – critical components for tanks and helicopters – were left languishing in bureaucratic limbo. Bild's sources reveal that the Greens erected a formidable roadblock, refusing to budge on approvals until Israel met their controversial condition: A written pledge that "weapons coming from Germany will not be used for genocide."
Insiders privy to the matter didn't mince words, branding the demand by Habeck and Baerbock as "absurd." They argue that the stipulation had a singular, thinly veiled purpose: to throttle the supply of weapons to Israel. The very suggestion of such a requirement, they contend, implicitly casts a shadow of suspicion that Israel might be committing genocide – an accusation typically hurled only by the Jewish state's most vitriolic adversaries. From a practical standpoint, the demand was equally puzzling. After all, if a nation were truly intent on committing genocide, would a mere signature serve as an effective deterrent? The predicament for Israel was further compounded by the impossibility of guaranteeing that no anti-Israel international body would level accusations of genocide against the Jewish state.
When pressed by Bild, the Ministry of Economy, under Robert Habeck's leadership, fell back on protocol, stating that "as a rule, it does not provide information on decisions and votes in the Federal Security Council." They added that the German government employs "all means" to "strengthen Israel's self-defense" within the bounds of international law. Bild's sources indicate that the impasse may have been broken recently, with Israel reportedly signing the required commitment a few days ago. The document is said to have reached Berlin on Thursday, paving the way for Chancellor Olaf Scholz to announce in the Bundestag that "additional supply of weapons will be carried out soon."
The Federal Security Council has reportedly made a conditional decision, agreeing to automatically approve the supply of urgently needed spare parts once Israel's signed commitment is received. However, the months-long freeze on exports of weapons, ammunition, and spare parts – at a time when Israel is engaged in a multi-front conflict – casts a long shadow over Minister of Economy Robert Habeck. The minister, who made headlines in November 2023 with a speech supporting Israel, now faces scrutiny for his role in prolonging the weapons embargo on the Jewish state.
The controversy takes on added dimensions when contrasted with the Green Party ministers' approach to arms deals with other nations. In late 2023, the council gave the green light for supplying fighter jets to Saudi Arabia. More recently, in September 2024, it approved a massive $367 million weapons deal with Turkey, despite ongoing concerns about President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's military actions in Kurdish areas and alleged support for Hamas.
