German lawyers file case against govt. to stop arms sales to Israel
A team of lawyers has filed an urgent legal action against the German government to stop arms sales to Israel, arguing that the occupying regime uses the weapons to commit genocide against Palestinians.
The case, brought by several organizations, including the European Legal Support Center (ELSC), Law for Palestine, and the Palestine Institute for Public Diplomacy was filed in an administrative court in Berlin on behalf of Palestinians in Gaza.
“Germany has an international obligation to fulfill, following the International Court of Justice’s findings and the forensic report, to stop its arms export to Israel now more than ever. A demand Palestinians have been calling for in the past six months of the genocide,” PIPD said.
The lawyers said in a statement that the arms exports and support Germany has provided to Israel violated the country’s obligations under the War Weapons Control Act.
They cited a January order from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for Israel to take action to prevent acts of genocide in Gaza.
“Just the assumption that the weapons are used to commit acts that violate international law is sufficient to revoke arms exports under the Act,” lawyer Ahmed Abed said at a news conference in Berlin on Friday.
He said a ruling is expected within two to three weeks.
International law experts have ruled out that the case would force a halt to such arms sales under administrative law.
They, however, maintain that it could push Berlin to review its stance.
“It could build up political pressure on the German government ... to be more transparent and declare which arms it is planning to transfer or which arms it actually has transferred to Israel,” said Max Mutschler, a senior researcher at the Bonn International Center for Conflict Studies.
In February, a Dutch court ordered the Netherlands to halt all exports of F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel over the war in Gaza.
Israel launched the war on Gaza on October 7 after the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas waged the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the occupying entity in response to the Israeli regime’s intensified violence against Palestinians.
Since the start of the offensive, the Tel Aviv regime has killed 33,175 Palestinians and injured nearly 75,886 others.
Germany is one of the main allies of Israel after the US. Last year, German arms exports to Israel increased 10-fold compared to the previous year, hitting 326.5 million euros ($353.70 million), according to Economy Ministry data.
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