Berlin Administrative Court rejects request regarding Israel

In Germany, the Berlin Administrative Court has rejected a request by Palestinian groups to block Germany's arms exports to Israel.

The request, supported by various organizations including the European Legal Support Center (ELSC), Law for Palestine, and the Institute for Palestine Public Diplomacy, stated that weapons exported by Germany to Israel were being used in the Gaza Strip in a manner that violates international humanitarian law.

Stating that decisions regarding Germany's arms exports to Israel this year are effectively on hold, the Court said that the plaintiffs 'did not demonstrate that there is a possibility that Germany would authorize exports in a way that would violate its obligations under international humanitarian law.'

The court also noted that the German government has the authority to reject arms export licenses, add additional conditions, or obtain commitments from the recipient country to restrict the use of the weapons.

Reacting to the decision, the groups of lawyers stated that the ruling was incomprehensible, noting that the German government keeps pending arms export applications confidential, making it impossible to be informed in advance.

According to the annual report of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Germany, which accounted for 30 percent of all Israel's arms purchases in 2023, was Israel's second-largest arms supplier after the United States, which accounted for 69 percent of Israel's arms purchases in 2023.

News Source: İHA