Ayhan Şimşek
14 August 2025•Update: 15 August 2025
BERLIN
The German government's decision to partially suspend weapons exports to Israel has garnered widespread public support, according to a new poll released Thursday.
The survey done for public television ZDF found that 83% of Germans believe it is right to halt supplies of weapons to Israel that could potentially be used in the Gaza Strip.
The survey also found that most Germans want their government to put more political pressure on Israel to end its military campaign in Gaza. Specifically, 62% of respondents called for more pressure, while only 30% opposed this.
After weeks of mounting criticism, Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced last Friday that Germany will no longer authorize arms exports to Israel that could be used in Gaza. The decision was made in response to the Israeli Cabinet's plan to fully occupy the Gaza Strip and expel the Palestinian population.
The ZDF poll showed that a majority of Germans also support recognizing Palestinian statehood, despite the German government's reluctance on this issue. According to the survey, 60% of respondents believe Germany should recognize Palestine as a state, while only 22% oppose this, with 18% undecided.
Merz, a longtime staunch ally of Israel, initially resisted opposition lawmakers' calls for an arms embargo despite accusations that the Netanyahu government was employing starvation tactics and perpetrating war crimes in Gaza.
On Sunday, Merz made it clear that while Germany would halt approval of new arms exports that could be used in Gaza, Berlin's traditional policy of supporting Israel would remain unchanged. The conservative leader did not support calls from other European countries to suspend the EU-Israel trade agreement, and expressed skepticism about recognizing Palestinian statehood.
