08/09/2025August 9, 2025
Germany’s partial arms exports ban to Israel met with conservative backlash
Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s decision to halt German weapons exports to Israel for use in the Gaza Strip “until further notice” has been met with fierce opposition from some members of his own conservative Christian Democratic Party (CDU) and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU).
The CSU parliamentary group leader in the Bundestag, Alexander Hoffmann, on Saturday told Germany’s biggest tabloid newspaper Bild that his party “was not involved in this decision, and we consider it questionable.”
“This would be a departure from decades of foreign policy continuity toward Israel and, as such, requires at least some explanation. We will hold internal discussions on this within the coalition,” Hoffmann added.
Some conservatives are criticizing Merz for going against . Given the history of the , the German state sees a special responsibility for Israel.
CDU security policy expert Roderich Kiesewetter also sharply criticized the decision as a “serious political and strategic mistake by Germany.”
Foreign policy experts from the CDU/CSU parliamentary group are meeting via videoconference on Sunday to discuss the issue.
But others from the CDU/CSU alliance have welcomed the decision, including CDU foreign policy expert Norbert Röttgen.
“This reaction is correct and, unfortunately, has become inevitable due to the recent decisions of the Israeli government,” Röttgen told the regional newspaper Rheinische Post.
Merz has also received support from his junior coalition partner.
“We offer our full solidarity with the state of Israel, but the wrongs must be called out,” said Vice Chancellor , the co-leader of the , on Friday.
The post Germany updates: Israel arms halt met with CDU/CSU backlash appeared first on Deutsche Welle.
