Germany to continue supplying arms to Israel, Scholz says

BERLIN

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Wednesday promised continued military support for Israel, despite the country’s genocidal war in Gaza, which has so far claimed more than 42,200 lives and displaced over 2 million Palestinians.

Addressing lawmakers at the German parliament, Scholz blamed Hamas for the conflict and said Germany will continue to show solidarity with Israel and will continue its arms deliveries to ensure Israel is in a position to defend itself.

“That is why we have supplied weapons and armaments in the past, that is why we are doing this at the moment, and we will continue such deliveries in the future as well. Israel can always rely on us for this,” Scholz told lawmakers.

His comments came after local media reported that Germany resumed its arms exports to Israel last week, after receiving assurances from the Israeli government that it would not use German weapons in a “genocide.”

The Greens Party, which is part of Scholz's ruling coalition, is said to have blocked the export of weapons of war to Israel in the past months, fearing that deliveries may constitute violations of international law.

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

But critics say Germany’s blanket support for the government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seriously undermining its credibility abroad, and Berlin is increasingly isolating itself on the global stage.

Since Israel launched its war against Hamas in Gaza last October, it has killed more than 42,400 Palestinians and injured more than 99,000 more, mostly women and children.

Israel is facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for its war on the besieged enclave, where millions of Palestinians are displaced, facing famine and acute shortages of medical aid and other essentials.