Germany urged to lift ban on arms exports to Israel - Politico
Photo: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (Getty Images)
Two senior lawmakers from Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s ruling coalition have called on the German government to lift restrictions on arms exports to Israel following the peace agreement reached between Israel and Hamas, according to Politico.
Germany partially suspended arms exports to Israel in August, banning the supply of weapons that could be used in the Gaza Strip. Since then, the government has not approved any new exports.
Now that Israel has halted hostilities and a peace agreement has been signed, leaders of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group are urging the government to change this policy.
The head of the CSU parliamentary group, Alexander Hoffmann, told reporters that "sanctions against Israel should be lifted immediately."
He was supported by CDU representative Jens Spahn, who noted that the final decision will be made by the Federal Security Council, a government committee that determines national security policy.
Gaza peace deal
On October 13, US President Donald Trump and three Middle Eastern leaders signed a peace agreement concerning the Gaza Strip.
The signing took place during a peace summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.
"I thought this was probably going to be the toughest, and maybe in many ways it was, but we had a lot of big talent. We had an amazing array of talent, and we were helped by, in particular, the countries represented at this table," Trump said.
It was also announced yesterday that Hamas released all 20 Israeli hostages captured during the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel. The militants also handed over four coffins containing the remains of those killed.
