Support for Israel: SPD members see arms exports as possible involvement in war crimes

The way Israel is conducting its fight against the terrorist militia Hamas is currently under particular criticism. While some aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip are returning, a major offensive is simultaneously exacerbating the suffering of civilians. There is unrest in parts of the SPD regarding German arms deliveries.

Influential SPD lawmakers are calling on the German government to halt German arms exports to Israel in light of possible war crimes in Gaza. "German weapons must not be used to spread humanitarian disasters and violate international law," Adis Ahmetovic, foreign policy spokesman for the SPD parliamentary group, told Stern magazine. "Therefore, we call on Netanyahu's government to be willing to agree to a ceasefire and return to the negotiating table."

Foreign policy expert Ralf Stegner expressed a similar view: "The humanitarian catastrophe for the Palestinian civilian population and the violation of international law by the Netanyahu government must end immediately and must not be prolonged with German weapons."

Until now, the German government had made an exception for Israel from the practice of not supplying weapons to conflict zones, for good reasons. This served Israel's security and defense. "There can be no question of that in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank at present," Stegner told "Stern." He added that famine and the misery of Palestinian children have nothing to do with the fight against terrorism.

Motion to stop deliveries passed at state party conference

Baden-Württemberg SPD MP Isabel Cademartori warned that, given the Israeli government's actions, Germany could be complicit in war crimes by supplying weapons. "This could lead to Germany itself being prosecuted by international courts," Cademartori told Stern magazine. "The German federal government should limit arms exports, especially tank ammunition and spare parts." Exceptions should only be made for the "Iron Dome" missile shield.

Meanwhile, the SPD party leadership is also under pressure from the party's grassroots. This weekend, the SPD Berlin state party conference passed a first motion calling for a halt to all arms deliveries to Israel. According to information from "Stern," similar motions are being drafted in other state associations, and the issue is also scheduled to be debated at the federal party conference in June. Berlin SPD MP Hakan Demir commented: "It is wrong to supply weapons – given the doubts about compliance with international law."