Scholz says Germany will supply Israel with weapons to defend itself

Brussels/Berlin: Germany will continue to help Israel defend itself by supplying weapons, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Thursday, adding that Israel must abide by international law and that a two-state solution was the ultimate goal.

"For me, however, it is clear that supporting Israel also means that we are constantly ensuring Israel's defence capability, for example by supplying military goods or weapons," said Scholz on the sidelines of an EU leaders' summit.

Germany approved arms exports to Israel worth around 31 million euros ($34 million) in the past eight weeks, more than twice as much as in the first seven and a half months of this year, DPA news agency reported on Wednesday, citing the economy ministry.

The sharp drop in export permits earlier this year has prompted opposition accusations that Berlin deliberately delayed the exports.

German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock last month said that Germany had not approved any arms exports to Israel that could be used in Gaza after Oct. 7, 2023, citing concerns about possible violations of international humanitarian law.

On Wednesday, Baerbock said Berlin was waiting for a letter from the Israeli government assuring that international humanitarian law would be observed when using military materiel supplied by Germany.

Alexander Schwarz, a lawyer at the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights, which has filed five lawsuits against Berlin, said the letter could not exempt Germany from potential legal violations, citing the country's War Weapons Control Act standards.

"Germany has absolutely no means of controlling which combat operations take place ... As far as we know, no promises have been made," Schwarz said, adding that the Center will soon sue the government again over these approvals.

Sevim Dagdelen, the foreign policy spokesperson for the left-wing BSW party, said Germany's renewed arms exports to Israel makes it directly responsible for potential international law violations in Gaza.

"As the federal government always claims to have no knowledge of whether German weapons are being used in Gaza ... the statement from Tel Aviv is not worth the paper it is written on," Dagdelen said.