Anti-Israeli letter of German government employees to the Prime Minister

– International news – Tasnim News Agency According to the German newspaper “Tagus Zeitung”, criticism of the delivery of German weapons to the occupied territories continues to increase. . In a letter to German Chancellor Olaf Schultz and other senior ministers, a group of German employees called for an “immediate cessation of arms supplies to the Israeli government.” This statement, which was published on the LinkedIn online portal, states: Israel commits crimes in Gaza that are in clear contradiction with international law and therefore with the constitution to which we are bound as federal government employees and public servants. /p>

According to the information of the organizers, about 600 officials and employees from various ministries and institutions approved this statement. However, they wish to remain anonymous for fear of professional repercussions. A senior official speaks of a “climate of fear” in institutions and ministries that he “has never experienced in 15 years.” The manager, who claims to have collected more than 100 signatures from colleagues and professional networks on his own for the letter, reports that email conversations were therefore avoided and telephone exchanges were exchanged. “It is our duty as federal employees to remember that the federal government must strictly abide by the Constitution and international laws,” the statement said. The statement also called on the German federal government to extend payments to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) and “actively and decisively reject the recognition of a Palestinian state” within the international borders recognized in 2018. 1967 to defend. The signatories are said to include officials and staff from various ministries, including many with international biographies and experience abroad. Diplomats in particular are concerned that Germany’s reputation in the world and its international relations may be permanently damaged.

Germany is Israel’s second largest supplier of arms. Last year alone, the Federal Republic of Germany was said to be responsible for 47% of all Israeli arms imports. Over the past 20 years, approximately one-third of Israel’s total arms imports have come from Germany, and the vast majority from the United States. Other countries do not have a comparable role.

Last year, the total value of arms exports approved by the German government to Israel increased tenfold compared to the previous year. In 2023 the value totaled €326.5 million, as arms deliveries from Germany surged after the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas stormed Israel and the IDF’s first counter-offensive in October. After the United States, Germany is the most important supplier of weapons to Israel.

In Germany, the issue of delivering weapons to Israel has never been questioned. But this situation changed after the Israeli missile attack on the aid convoy in the Gaza Strip. The Left Party and the Wagenknecht Sahara Alliance (BSW) are now jointly calling for an end to German arms exports to Israel, with Wagenknecht even talking about an “arms embargo”. Criticism abroad is also increasing. Nancy Pelosi, the former speaker of the US House of Representatives, joined the letter of dozens of Democrats in the US Congress to US President Joe Biden and US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, in which they demanded a halt to arms sales to Israel.

In Germany Also, a team of lawyers has submitted an urgent request to the federal government to stop the export of weapons of war to Israel. They had reason to believe that these weapons were being used in violation of international humanitarian law in the Gaza Strip. Lawyers from the European Legal Support Center (ELSC), Law for Palestine and the Palestine Institute for Public Diplomacy believe that Germany is violating international agreements such as the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) 2013 and the Geneva Convention.

The German Federal Government He reacted cautiously to this complaint. In response to this question, the government spokesperson stated that “after filing a lawsuit in court, the court must first notify the defendant.” Only then can the federal government begin the process.

The results of a new poll also show that the vast majority of German citizens believe that the federal government should take a sharper tone and criticize more clearly. to Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip.

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