Germany: The government of Germany will encounter a lawsuit from human rights groups to halt all arms sales to Israel. This comes amid rising public concern about the high number of casualties and destruction in the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
The rights groups filed a case in German domestic courts demanding that the government urgently revoke all arms licenses to Israel issued since October 2020, when Hamas launched its attack on Israel. Germany is known to be the second largest arms exporter to Israel after the United States and is a more significant provider of arms than the United Kingdom.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of five named Palestinians who claim to be in fear for their lives in Gaza and who say they are suffering collective punishment by Israel. Under the Weapons of War Control Act, export licences are issued by the Department of Economic Affairs and Climate Action, led by the Green Party.
The European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR), one of the lead litigants, said in a statement that, “It is reasonable to believe that the German government is in violation of the arms trade treaty, the Geneva Conventions and its obligations under the Genocide Convention – agreements that have been ratified by Germany.”
The case is expected to be resolved through penned proceedings and it is likely to deliver the most practical impact on the German sale of 3,000 anti-tank weapons. The lawsuit is filed by five Palestinians, who are considered internally displaced persons and lost their relatives, homes, and jobs due to the war.
The foreign policy of Germany prioritises the security of Israel, despite criticism from Annalena Baerbock, the Green foreign minister, who conveyed Gaza as a ‘hell.’ This is different from Nicaragua’s recent plea to the International Court of Justice that Germany is violating the Geneva Conventions by providing arms to Israel. Germany responded by stating that it received commitments from Israel that it would keep taking essential safeguards.
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