Arms exports: The Chancellor explains: “No change to Israel policy”

Chancellor’s limitation is extremely personal: Friedrich Merz has publicly explained his Israel policy and defended the partial stop of arms exports, which is violently controversial in his own ranks. “The principles of German Israel policy are unchanged,” emphasized the CDU boss in an interview with the ARD “daily topics”. “We will help this country to defend themselves.” But the federal government cannot deliver weapons into a conflict that could demand hundreds of thousands of civilian victims.

Eleven sentences – violent reactions

For Merz it is an escape to the front – because in the past few days he has been in his own party, in the sister party CSU and also under pressure in public. The trigger: eleven sentences, published on Friday afternoon. The black and red federal government will no longer approved exports from armaments goods that could be used in the Gaza Strip, Merz said.

The Chancellor justified his decision with the Israeli announcement that the military operation in the region was expanding and wanting to take the city of Gaza. Which armor goods should no longer be delivered – and what effects this could have in Israel remained open.

Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil (SPD) immediately publicly signaled his support. In contrast, violent indignation came from the CSU and parts of Merz’s own party: Several Union MP spoke of a serious mistake. Foreign politician Roderich Kiesewetter wrote on X: “The credibility of our state rushes is precisely based on the security cooperation and the promise to protect Jewish life and the state of Israel.”

The CSU complained that it was not involved in the decision and considered it questionable. CSU state group leader Alexander Hoffmann criticized: “That would be a departure of decades of foreign policy continuity towards Israel and, as such, at least in need of explanation.” He announced: “We will have internal discussions in the coalition.” Even if party leader Markus Söder does not officially express himself – the sister party rarely turns against the Chancellor.

In the Union faction in the Bundestag, the next escalation level was also pulled and agreed a video count for foreign politicians with Merz ‘foreign policy advisor Günter Sautter.

Merz: A friendship has to endure that

Before this pronunciation, Merz was now looking for the public himself. The Chancellor’s television interviews are rare – especially since during the political summer break. This shows that the argument in the Chancellery is important.

The Federal Government has dissent with the Israeli government when driving in the Gaza Strip, said Merz. Such criticism must endure a friendship. “And solidarity with Israel does not mean that we consider any decision to be made a government and also give it support to military support from weapons.”

Previously, Chancellor Minister Thorsten Frei (CDU) had already made it clear what the decision actually meant: “Germany continues to support Israel in everything that is necessary to defend its existence and security,” he told the German press agency. It is not affected by export stop “everything that serves to defend Israel’s self -defense, for example in the area of air defense, sea defense”. You act out of concern for the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip. If the city of Gaza is taken, this could also mean a high blood collar among the population.

Who was involved when?

Merz also reacted to the allegations of the CSU that she was not involved in the decision. “I didn’t make this decision alone, but at the end of the day it is a decision that I have to answer alone,” he said. It is about a fundamental question of posture, which he cannot “put on a democratic vote”. His decision was also not made at short notice, but was a week -long discussion.

He also spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu again and again, Merz reported. Netanyahu himself commented on the German announcement in Israel. Merz is “a good friend of Israel,” he said. In his view, he attributed the decision of the Chancellor to public pressure on false media reports about Gaza.

The Chancellor contradicted. “I am not impressed by public pressure as much as from my own picture, also of the advice in the cabinet, from the consultations with our experts,” said Merz.

How does the faction react?

Before the Chancellor’s interview, there was a lot of air in the Union faction. Uncertain whether the publicly broadcast words could change that. But the Chancellor also gets approval from his own ranks. Group deputy Norbert Röttgen, also foreign politician, told the newspapers of the media group Bayern: “The federal government quickly had to make a decision to respond to the resolutions of the Israeli security cabinet to expand the war in Gaza and military control there.” Action was on offer, “and also right, legally and politically”. In contrast, he told the “world” that the decision on arms exports is not in contrast to stand reliably on the side of Israel when the country is threatened.