The German government has just authorized additional exports of weapons of war worth 20 million euros to Israel, according to information from the Ministry of Economics picked up by Heute (Today) the 2ᵉ German TV channel (ZDF).
The German government has authorized the export of weapons of war worth 20.1 million euros to Israel. This is according to the German press agency DPA, quoted by ZDF’s Heute newspaperin an answer from the Ministry of Economics to a question from MP Sevim Dagdelen.
This equipment includes
3,000 portable anti-tank weapons, 500,000 rounds of ammunition for machine guns, machine pistols and other automatic or semi-automatic firearms, as well as 239 detonators and 44 propellant charges.
In total, the Ampel coalition government has authorized arms deliveries worth 326.5 million euros to Israel in 2023, ten times more than in the previous year. This figure had already been announced in early January by the Ministry of the Economy.”
Most of the authorized exports concern land vehicles (65) and technology for the development, production, operation, maintenance and repair of weapons (57).
“German reason of state”
Following the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) repeatedly asserted that Israel’s security was part of Germany’s raison d’état.
The Ministry of Economics, which is responsible for arms exports, declared in November that, in the wake of the terrorist attacks, “applications for arms exports to Israel will be processed and decided on a priority basis”. Earlier reports indicated that the bulk of authorizations were for the period after October 7.
Responsible for foreign policy, Die Linke MP Sevim Dagdelen strongly criticized arms exports to Israel: “Instead of delivering ever more weapons to Israel, which could kill even more Palestinian civilians, the federal government should cancel its export authorizations and support an immediate ceasefire in Gaza .”
Approval also given for another submarine
The planned export of a sixth German submarine to Israel is not included in the statistics. Construction of the “INS Drakon” had already been launched in 2006 by the then Federal Government. Final authorization was only given by the Federal Security Council at the end of last year. The delivery date of the submarine is not indicated.
Submarine exports to Israel are controversial, as experts believe they could be equipped with nuclear weapons. According to specialized media reports, the turret of the new “Dolphin II” class submarine will be significantly wider and longer than those of its predecessors. It is assumed that this is to accommodate new missile systems.
Israel has already ordered three further submarines of the new “Dakar” class from ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems in early 2022. Delivery of the first of these boats, however, will still take years.
Armored ammunition too
According to Spiegel, the German government is also considering the delivery of tank ammunition. The ministries concerned have already agreed on the principle. This would involve 10,000 rounds of 120-mm precision ammunition, for which a request had already been made in November.
Last year, the #German government approved the export of weapons worth €20.1 million to #Israel. These included 3,000 portable anti-tank weapons and 500,000 rounds of ammunition for machine guns, submachine guns or other fully or semi-automatic firearms. https://t.co/VJTTUd0iHd
— martin broek (@martinbroek) January 17, 2024