UPDATES WITH REACTIONS, FOREIGN MINISTER BAERBOCK'S COMMENTS
By Anadolu staff
BERLIN (AA) - Germany has started to expand its military exports to Israel despite worrying signs of genocide in Gaza, official figures revealed on Thursday.
The German Foreign Ministry has confirmed that the government has approved €94 million ($101.5 million) worth of military equipment and weapons to Israel in the last three months.
The figures were released in response to a parliamentary question by the left-wing opposition party Bundnis Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW).
The volume of the military exports reported by the Foreign Ministry was twice as much as the €45.7 ($49.4 million) that the Ministry of Economic Affairs reported to the German parliament’s economic committee last week.
******BSW lawmaker Sevim Dagdelen sharply criticized the government for its “irresponsible” policy, and called for an end to arms exports to Israel.
******"By providing arms to Israel, the German coalition government is aiding and abetting war crimes in Gaza and Lebanon, instead of taking into account the majority will of the population in Germany for an arms embargo," she told local media.
The German government resumed its sale of military equipment and weapons of war to Israel recently, after receiving written assurances from Tel Aviv that it would comply with international law when using German-manufactured weapons.
Berlin had reportedly halted the supply of weapons to Israel in March, after Nicaragua brought a case against Germany before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing it of aiding “genocide” in Gaza.
******German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Thursday defended her government’s policy, and claimed that they have approved arms exports to Israel, only after careful examination of the requested military equipment and weapons.
******“We have intensively examined every single delivery, we will continue to do so. I have also said this clearly in the parliament. There are legal requirements for military exports to third countries, this includes Israel,” she told a press conference in Paris.
******“In line with these requirements, we have been examining each and every delivery according to the humanitarian law, European Union law and international law. And we are also doing this here,” she said.
Germany has long been a key ally of Israel, with Chancellor Olaf Scholz often emphasizing Germany’s special responsibility for Israel’s security due to the country’s Nazi past.
However, critics argue that Germany’s unwavering support for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is damaging its international credibility and further isolating Berlin on the global stage.
Since Israel began its military campaign against Hamas in Gaza last October, more than 42,700 Palestinians have been killed, and over 100,000 others wounded, most of them women and children.
Israel is currently facing a genocide case at the ICJ over its actions in Gaza, where millions of Palestinians remain displaced and face severe shortages of food, medical supplies, and other essentials.