Germany not barring arms sales to Israel, says lawmaker

Member of German parliament denies report claiming Berlin has imposed de facto arms embargo on Israel.

By World Israel News Staff

A recent report accusing the German government of imposing a de facto arms embargo on Israel was false, a member of the German national parliament claimed Monday.

Over the weekend, Germany’s Bilt newspaper reported that Berlin has consistently refused to permit weapons sales to Israel, or responded to requests for arms export permits with indefinite delays, effectively blocking new weapons sales to the Jewish state.

For instance, an IDF request for an export permit enabling it to purchase thousands of tank shells has simply been ignored by Berlin thus far, the report claimed.

“The growing concerns are the reason why fewer approvals are being granted, even if no one wants to say it out loud,” an official working fora  representative on the German Federal Security Council told Profil Magazine.

As a result, weapons sales to Israel have plummeted this year, dropping from 300 million Euros in 2023 to just 14 million in 2024.

A conservative lawmaker in the German Bundestag, however, denied the report, telling Israel Hayom that after looking into the report’s claims, he found no evidence of a deliberate effort to prevent arms sales to Israel.

“After consulting with my office, we have no knowledge of any companies being denied security export licenses to Israel,” Klaus-Peter Willsch, a member of the center-right Christian Democratic Union said during a trip to Israel Monday.

Willsch said he backed arms sales to Israel, comparing support for Israel against Hamas to Germany’s support for Ukraine in its ongoing war against Russia.

“I endorse exports to Israel, just as I support exports to Ukraine. Both hold significant importance.”