Germany may follow US and pause arms transfers to Israel, defense minister says

By Anadolu staff

BERLIN (AA) - The German government is discussing whether to pause some arms shipments to Israel, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said late Thursday.

Speaking to German media during his Washington visit, Pistorius signaled that Germany may follow the US administration and pause some weapons deliveries due to concerns over a full-scale assault on Rafah.

“Discussions are currently underway. I can't give a clear answer at the moment, as the Chancellor’s Office and Foreign Ministry are primarily responsible for this. I am now in Washington. We have of course discussed this behind closed doors, but I’m not in a position to announce decisions now,” he told the public broadcaster ZDF.

US President Joe Biden paused last week the delivery of a weapons shipment that included 2,000-pound bombs, which Israel previously used to flatten wide swathes of Gaza. He also warned Israel not to launch a ground offensive on Rafah, and said the US will not be supplying weapons that would be used in such an attack.

Asked whether he supports the Biden administration’s decision, German Defense Minister Pistorius replied by saying: “Yes, I understand this,” but he did not provide any details about his discussions with US counterparts in Washington.

Germany has been a staunch ally of Israel, and German government officials have repeatedly said the country bears special responsibility for Israel’s security due to its Nazi past.

But the government has come under growing pressure in recent weeks due to the Israeli military’s disproportionate and indiscriminate use of force in Gaza.

In a recent poll, 69% of Germans said Israel’s military actions in Gaza are unjustified as they have claimed too many civilian victims. Only 18% voiced support for Israel.

Israel has waged a military offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack by Hamas which killed less than 1,200 people.

More than 34,900 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and 78,500 others injured amid mass destruction and severe shortages of necessities.

More than six months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins, pushing 85% of the enclave’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine, according to the UN.

Israel is accused of “genocide” at the International Court of Justice, which has ordered Tel Aviv to ensure its forces do not commit acts of genocide and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.