One Roof and Two Air Berlin – Supporting Israel and Getting Human Rights in Gaza – Mehr News Agency | News of Iran and the World

Mehr News Agency, International Group: German decision to halt Israel’s weapons in the middle of the Gaza war is not only a legal or diplomatic act, but a direct reflection of public opinion pressure and widespread protests on famine, siege and killing of Palestinian civilians. Scenes of children’s deaths due to hunger and repeated attacks on residential areas, within Germany, have created a wave of civil protests, student rallies and human rights campaigns that the Berlin government could no longer ignore. Berlin’s decision can be analyzed from three angles; International Law Obligations, German Foreign Policy Considerations and its Consequences on German -Israel Relations

1. International’s legal dimension and obligations

Germany is a member of the ATT Treaty and signatories of the Geneva Conventions. Each of the three treaties explicitly obliges countries to refrain from exporting weapons that can be used in the killing of civilians or gross violations of human rights. The continuation of German weapons exports, despite UN reports and humanitarian institutions to Israel, could have been a clear violation of these commitments. Berlin’s decision was late but inevitable.

2. Domestic politics and social pressure

Although the German government has been “part of its historical responsibility” for years, this justification is no longer responsive to Gaza’s realities. Civil society, leftist parties, human rights groups, and even parts of the churches and cultural institutions, have openly taken a stand against Israeli weapons. The pressure of public opinion, especially by expanding images and reports of famine and killing in Gaza, reached the point where the German government had to retreat to maintain its internal legitimacy.

1. Germany’s foreign policy and contradictions

Berlin attempted to be both a “historical supporter of Israel” and a “human rights defender” and a neutral mediator in the Middle East, but the continuation of the sending of weapons to a regime accused of committing war crimes has made this contradiction more obvious than ever. Stopping of arms exports is an attempt to repair this image, though it cannot remember the reality of Germany’s companionship with Israeli war machine. This decision can create a new gap in Berlin-Tel Aviv strategic relationships. Israel is likely to interpret the decision as betraying or reducing German historical support.

Military contracts and intelligence cooperation are under pressure, and Tel Aviv will more and more rely on Washington and other military allies. In contrast, Germany will try to prevent complete relationship with civilian and diplomatic assistance.

The Berlin decision, although defensible in international law, was in fact the direct result of social protests and public opinion pressure against the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. The move, above all, shows that even one of the closest Zionist allies in Europe can no longer be able to close his eyes on famine, siege and killing civilians. Stopping weapons exports does not mean complete relationships, but a clear sign of changing political space in Europe and increasing international costs for the continuation of the war for Tel Aviv.