Germany is the world's second-largest arms supplier to Israel, after the United States. From October 7, 2023 to August 8, 2025, Berlin exported €485 million in military equipment to Israel — firearms, ammunition, armored vehicles, electronic equipment. Yet 77% of Germans support suspending these deliveries, according to a June 2025 poll. Nicaragua filed a complaint against Germany before the International Court of Justice for "complicity in genocide." Amnesty International described the resumption of arms deliveries in November 2025 as "irresponsible and illegal." Germany faces a fundamental contradiction: as heir to the responsibility of the Holocaust, it built its foreign policy on near-unconditional support for Israel — and today finds itself accused of being complicit in another genocide.
For countries that have instead chosen the path of Palestinian recognition, see our article on which countries support Palestine. And for companies that have severed their ties with Israel, read our report on pro-Palestine companies.
What is the Staatsräson and why does it determine German policy on Israel?
The key to understanding German policy on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict lies in one word: Staatsräson (reason of state). In 2008, before the Israeli Knesset, Chancellor Angela Merkel uttered a phrase that became doctrine: "Israel's security is a matter of state for Germany." This formula, derived from Machiavelli's concept of "raison d'état" applied to Germany's moral obligation toward Israel, means that guaranteeing the security of the Jewish state is considered an absolute imperative of German foreign policy — a debt contracted to the Jewish people through the guilt of the Holocaust.
This doctrine has deep historical roots. In 1952, Chancellor Konrad Adenauer signed the reparations agreement — the Wiedergutmachung — with Israel, paying the Jewish state the equivalent of 3 billion Deutsche Marks in materials and services, to morally repair the Nazi genocide. These reparations, controversial in the Knesset (some refused to "take the murderers' money"), established the foundation of a privileged German-Israeli relationship. Formal diplomatic relations were established in 1965 — at the very moment when Dolphin submarines, partially financed by the German state, began to be delivered to the Israeli navy.
The Staatsräson leads to increasingly untenable positions. After October 7, 2023, the Scholz government declared that Germany "stands firmly alongside Israel" and rejected the genocide accusation brought by South Africa before the ICJ as "entirely without foundation" — even as the ICJ issued an order in January 2024 acknowledging a "plausible risk of genocide." In March 2024, Scholz confronted EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell over his criticism of Israel, declaring that he "was not speaking on behalf of Germany." In 2024, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution classified the Jewish organization "Jewish Voice for a Just Peace in the Middle East" as a "confirmed extremist" group — a decision that illustrates the ideological lock-down around the Palestinian question in Germany.
What are Germany's arms deliveries to Israel since 2023?
The figures are staggering. In 2022, Germany exported approximately €32 million in military equipment to Israel. In 2023, after October 7, exports exploded to €326 million — ten times more. In 2024, they still amounted to €161 million. Between January 1 and August 8, 2025 — the date of the partial suspension — more than €250 million more in military equipment was exported to Israel. In total, according to official figures published by the German government in June 2025, between October 7, 2023 and May 13, 2025, export authorizations were granted for a total of €485 million.
These exports include firearms, ammunition, weapon parts, special equipment for the army and navy, electronic equipment and armored vehicles. Germany is also the historical co-funder of Dolphin submarines for the Israeli navy — submarines that some claim are capable of carrying nuclear weapons. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Germany accounts for approximately 30% of Israeli arms imports in recent years.
On March 1, 2024, Nicaragua brought a case before the International Court of Justice against Germany, accusing it of "facilitating genocide" in Gaza through its arms deliveries to Israel, in violation of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. The ICJ rejected the request for emergency provisional measures on April 30, 2024, but the merits proceedings are still ongoing.
How did Friedrich Merz suspend and then resume arms deliveries in 2025?
Merz's reversal in 2025 is one of the most revealing episodes of the contradictions in German policy. In January 2025, during his foreign policy speech at the Körber Stiftung in Berlin, the new Chancellor Friedrich Merz was categorical: "In the future, what Israel needs to exercise its right to self-defense, Israel will get. The concept of Staatsräson will be measured again in facts and not only in words. It must be clear and unequivocal that Germany is not sitting on the fence, but stands firmly alongside Israel."
Six months later, on August 8, 2025, Merz did an about-face. Netanyahu's security cabinet had just announced its intention to take full control of Gaza City, where nearly one million Palestinians are surviving in conditions that the UN describes as "inhumane." Merz immediately suspended export authorizations for arms that could be used in the Gaza Strip. This is the first time in the history of German-Israeli relations that such a measure has been taken. Netanyahu reacted furiously, accusing Germany of "rewarding Hamas terrorism." More than 100 Israeli academics sent a letter warning that the absence of German pressure "could lead to further atrocities."
But the suspension was partial and short-lived. Bundestag revelations show that between September 13 and 22, 2025, Germany exported €2.5 million in military equipment to Israel — during the official suspension. On November 24, 2025, Germany formally lifted the embargo, returning to "a case-by-case review." Amnesty International condemned this decision as "irresponsible, illegal and risking making Germany complicit in international crimes."
Does Germany recognize the State of Palestine?
No. Germany does not recognize the State of Palestine and has shown no intention of doing so. In March 2025, the German foreign affairs chief declared that recognition would be a "bad signal." Germany remains one of the few major European countries — along with Italy, Austria and the Netherlands — not to have recognized Palestine, even as 148 of the 193 UN members had done so before September 2025.
This position is all the more difficult to maintain as the very concept of Staatsräson is being called into question. In October 2025, a petition signed by hundreds of German intellectuals, academics, lawyers and diplomats, published in Le Grand Continent, challenges the doctrine: "The Staatsräson postulates that Israel's security corresponds to Germany's supreme interest, while Israel is engaged in an illegal occupation, as confirmed by the ICJ in July 2024, and its government is suspected of committing crimes against humanity." The petition calls for the abandonment of the Staatsräson as the framework of Germany's foreign policy toward Israel.
The suppression of public debate in Germany is also denounced. In 2024, a professor at the Max Planck Institute was dismissed for criticizing Israel on social media. American philosopher Nancy Fraser saw her visiting professorship at the University of Cologne cancelled after her statements on Gaza. The Federal Minister of Education attempted to cut funding for more than 1,000 professors who signed a critical letter. These cases illustrate a climate of restriction of debate on Palestine without equivalent in other major European democracies.
What is the pro-Palestinian mobilization in Germany?
Despite institutional lock-down, German civil society has been mobilizing for Palestine since October 2023. In Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Cologne and dozens of other cities, demonstrations regularly bring together tens of thousands of people. The Arab community in Germany — one of the largest in Europe, estimated at more than 600,000 people of Arab origin, with a significant Palestinian presence — is very active in these mobilizations.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrations in Germany have, however, been subject to more severe repression than in other European countries. Gatherings have been banned or dispersed, slogans such as "From the river to the sea" have been judicially prosecuted as "apologia for terrorism." The BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) organization was classified as "antisemitic" by the Bundestag as early as 2019. These restrictions have fueled an intense debate about freedom of expression in Germany regarding criticism of Israel.
Personalities from arts and culture are nevertheless taking positions. Musician Laurie Anderson had to resign from Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen due to her support for an anti-apartheid letter from Palestinian artists. Dozens of German filmmakers, writers and artists have signed petitions for a ceasefire and recognition of Palestine.
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Sources
— Amnesty International, Germany's resumption of arms transfers to Israel: irresponsible, unlawful and risks complicity in international crimes, November 2025.
— Le Grand Continent, Is Germany changing its position on Israel?, August 2025.
— Le Grand Continent, Abandoning the Staatsräson: the petition shaking Germany, October 2025.
— IFRI, German policy toward Israel: outdated since October 7, 2025.
— France Info, Germany to lift its arms export embargo to Israel, November 2025.
— UJFP, Germany and Israel: from historical responsibility to criminal complicity, 2025.
Your frequently asked questions about Germany and Palestine
Does Germany recognize the State of Palestine?
No. Germany does not recognize the State of Palestine. Its foreign policy is based on the Staatsräson — an absolute commitment to support Israel's security, a legacy of the historical guilt linked to the Holocaust. In March 2025, German diplomacy still described Palestinian state recognition as a "bad signal."
How many arms has Germany delivered to Israel since 2023?
According to official figures published by the German government in June 2025, between October 7, 2023 and May 13, 2025, export authorizations for military equipment to Israel were granted for a total of €485 million. In 2023, exports had exploded to €326 million — ten times more than in 2022.
What is the Staatsräson and why is it problematic?
The Staatsräson is the doctrine according to which "Israel's security is a matter of state for Germany," formulated by Angela Merkel before the Knesset in 2008. It means that Germany unconditionally supports Israel because of its historical responsibility for the Holocaust. The problem: this doctrine, designed to prevent a new genocide, is today used to support an Israeli government accused by the International Court of Justice of representing a "plausible risk of genocide" for Palestinians.
Why did Nicaragua file a complaint against Germany?
On March 1, 2024, Nicaragua brought a case before the International Court of Justice against Germany, accusing it of "facilitating genocide" in Gaza through its massive arms deliveries to Israel, in violation of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. The ICJ rejected emergency provisional measures on April 30, 2024, but the merits proceedings are still ongoing.
Does Boutique Palestine deliver to Germany?
Yes, Boutique Palestine delivers to Germany with free shipping, in 5 to 8 business days. Our website is available in German with our full range of Palestinian products.