Legal activists announced on Friday that they have filed an urgent lawsuit against the German government, demanding an immediate cessation of military arms exports to Israel.
Citing reasons that they believe indicate violations of international humanitarian law in Gaza, the German lawyers urge a halt to arms shipments.
This move comes after a Dutch court ordered the government in Amsterdam to halt all exports of fighter jet spare parts to Israel over concerns about their potential use in attacks on civilian targets in Gaza, where tens of thousands have been killed.
Israel, which besieges the Palestinian enclave, denies deliberately targeting civilians in its Gaza offensives, arguing that Hamas militants use residential areas for cover, a claim contested by Palestinian authorities.
Various organizations, including the European Legal Support Center, the Law for Palestine Organization, and the Palestine Institute for Public Diplomacy, have jointly filed the lawsuit on behalf of Gazan Palestinians.
Lawyers assert that Germany’s arms shipments and support to Israel violate the country’s obligations under the War Weapons Control Act.
They refer to an order issued by the International Court of Justice in January, urging Israel to prevent genocidal actions in the besieged Gaza Strip, which has been under blockade and invasion since Hamas attacked Israeli towns on October 7.
German attorney Ahmed Aabed stated in a press conference in Berlin today that a ruling is expected within two to three weeks.
German government spokesperson Christian Hofmann declined to comment on the lawsuit or whether Germany would suspend arms exports to Israel pending the court’s decision.
When pressed by journalists, she stated that the federal government generally considers each arms export operation individually, taking into account human rights and humanitarian law.
Experts in international law suggest that the lawsuit is unlikely to result in a ban on arms exports under administrative law, but it could prompt Berlin to reassess its position if evidence is presented.
Holgur Rothbauer, a lawyer, remarked to Reuters, “There seems to be no German law to consider this case,” noting that only the party directly affected by the court’s ruling could bring the suit to halt arms exports. Human rights groups have taken this risk on behalf of Gaza residents.
The Gaza Ministry of Health reported today that over 33,000 Palestinians have been killed and 75,750 others injured in Israeli military attacks since October 7.
With Gaza devastated and most of its 2.3 million population forced to flee their homes, relying on aid to survive, Israel is facing increasing calls from its allies to end the war and allow unrestricted aid into the territory.
Critics argue that governments should threaten to suspend military aid if Israel fails to heed these pleas.
Israeli statistics indicate that Hamas’s attack on southern Israel on October 7 resulted in the deaths of 1,200 people.
Germany is one of Israel’s strongest allies, alongside the United States, and has reaffirmed its commitment to atoning for the Nazi Holocaust in World War II, which claimed the lives of six million Jews.
Last year, Germany approved arms exports to Israel worth €326.5 million ($353.70 million), including military equipment and weaponry, marking a tenfold increase compared to 2022, according to data from the Ministry of Economics.
