War on Gaza: Poll finds majority of Germans oppose continued arms sales to Israel

A new survey has found that 60 percent of Germans oppose arms exports to Israel, with a majority of voters in the three governing coalition partners supporting restrictions.

According to the Forsa poll, 50 percent of Green Party voters opposed arms sales, while 60 percent of Social Democratic Party supporters and 52 percent of Free Democratic Party voters also rejected continued arms exports.

Opposition was particularly strong in the former East Germany, where 75 percent of respondents rejected arms sales to Israel.

Last week, German media reported that several German leaders had blocked arms sales to Israel, despite Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s insistence that arms sales continue.

According to the German tabloid Bild, Green politicians Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck and Foreign Minister Annalena Bärbock, part of the ruling coalition with the Social Democrats, refused permission to export weapons, demanding guarantees that they would not be used against civilians .

The War Weapons Control Act stipulates that German weapons must not be used against civilians.

The German government is facing a number of lawsuits over arms sales to Israel.

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In September, Reuters reported that Germany had suspended new licenses to export “military weapons” to Israel due to legal proceedings.

Scholz insisted that there was no genocide taking place in the Gaza Strip and reiterated Germany’s continued military support for Israel.

“We have delivered and will continue to deliver,” German publication Tagesspiegel quotes Scholz as saying.

On October 7, the year the war in the Gaza Strip began, Berlin ruled out a ban on arms exports to Israel.

Deputy government spokeswoman Christiane Hoffmann told reporters that decisions on arms exports were made on a case-by-case basis, but added:

“No decision has been made on a general boycott of arms exports to Israel. The federal government has not made this (decision).”