The recently negotiated cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, which put an end to more than 15 months of war in the Gaza Strip, is an opportune moment for Germany to recalibrate its Israel policy. Berlin has long cited a “special historical responsibility” toward Israel and its right to self-defense. Germany sends the country a steady stream of arms and is its second-largest weapons supplier after the United States.

Germany’s pro-Israel policy is rooted in a commendable desire to atone for historical atrocities. But it also threatens to make Germany complicit in new ones.

Now, amid the wreckage in Gaza and ahead of snap German elections on Feb. 23, Germany must confront an uncomfortable reality: Its weapons have aided Israel in committing grave breaches of international law. If Berlin is to stay true to its word that it is an advocate for human rights and the rules-based order, it must halt all offensive arms exports to Israel going forward.

Germany’s relationship with Israel dates back to 1952, when Chancellor Konrad Adenauer signed a reparations agreement to provide the fledgling state with crucial economic support. This arrangement made the state of Israel the primary vessel through which Germany has sought to atone for the Holocaust.

Berlin’s focus on a state as the embodiment of Jewish identity created a narrow lens through which modern Germany has come to view Judaism, Zionism, and antisemitism. Instead of aiding Jewish people and institutions around the world, Berlin focused on Israel. Chancellor Angela Merkel went so far as to declare Israel’s security as part of Germany’s reason of state in a 2008 speech to the Knesset, Israel’s parliament. 

The German government’s narrow interpretation of its postwar moral obligations to Jewish people has led to a conflation of anti-Zionism and antisemitism in public discourse and the country’s politics, suppressing legitimate debate about Israeli policies and Germany’s unconditional support for Israel. Berlin has even marginalized anti-Zionist Jewish voices.

Throughout the Gaza war, Germany implemented some of the most restrictive measures in Europe on speech criticizing Israel’s conduct. Some local German authorities imposed blanket bans on pro-Palestinian demonstrations, arbitrarily detained protesters, and warned foreign nationals of potential deportation for expressing solidarity with Palestinians. Human rights groups argue that these measures violate the rights to free expression and peaceful assembly.

In November 2024, the Greens, Social Democrats, liberals, conservatives, and far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) joined forces in the Bundestag, Germany’s parliament, to pass a motion intended to fight antisemitism. The motion referenced only the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism, which academics have warned is overly broad and rife for political misuse because it can include expressions in support of Palestinian rights and criticism of Israel.

Even as a broad alliance of rights groups cautioned that the resolution could have negative consequences for academic and artistic freedoms as well as freedom of speech, it passed overwhelmingly in the Bundestag. Individuals or organizations deemed to have violated the definition could face severe consequences, including denial of public funding or exclusion from cultural and academic institutions.

Germany’s posture has also strengthened existing racism against Palestinians and people perceived of Arab or Muslim descent in the country. There was a 114 percent rise in Islamophobic attacks in Germany in 2023 as compared with 2022 levels, particularly following Oct. 7, 2023, according to data compiled by a network of nongovernmental organizations.

The rise in Islamophobia has been accompanied by a surge in support for the AfD, which has mainstreamed anti-Arab and anti-Muslim rhetoric. Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck, a member of the Greens, and President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, a Social Democrat, have both controversially called for Muslims to distance themselves from antisemitism—implying that they are guilty until proved innocent. Numerous politicians have also suggested that naturalized German citizens pledge allegiance to Israel.

In fact, studies clearly indicate that far-right extremists are the primary purveyors of antisemitism in Germany—not immigrant communities or students. As just one example, billionaire Elon Musk made statements echoing antisemitic conspiracy theories during a January AfD rally—and was met with applause from party members.

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There is a sad irony to Germany’s repression of public debate on Israel. In private discussions, German government officials acknowledge that Israel has perpetrated atrocities in Gaza. That means the government has deliberately deceived the public on Israel’s conduct—presumably to avoid scrutiny.

According to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Germany accounted for 30 percent of Israel’s imports of major arms between 2019 and 2023. This included armored vehicle engines, such as for Merkava battle tanks, which were used in the Gaza war as well as in unlawful incursions into Lebanon and Syria.

In 2023, German arms exports to Israel saw a tenfold increase compared with the previous year, reaching $355.3 million. Most were sent after Oct. 7, 2023. During this period, Germany sent Israel a wide range of military equipment, including 3,000 portable anti-tank weapons and 500,000 rounds of ammunition.

By March 2024, however, weapons exports approved by the German government that year had dropped to just $34,261, a mere 0.02 percent of the annual average of approved exports to Israel since 2009. In private, German diplomats who spoke to Foreign Policy confirmed that this decline was due to the government’s concerns about Israel’s potential violations of international humanitarian law in Gaza.

During the war, Israel perpetrated a long list of human rights abuses in Gaza, forcibly displacing Palestinians and restricting the flow of humanitarian aid into the territory. These are crimes against humanity. Last January, the International Court of Justice deemed it plausible that Israel’s military actions in Gaza violated at least some of the rights under the U.N. Genocide Convention. Amnesty International recently determined that Israel’s actions in Gaza amount to genocide.

Amid mounting evidence that Israel was committing war crimes in Gaza, the German government last year initiated an undisclosed partial pause on deliveries of “weapons of war” to Israel—despite public statements to the contrary. Before resuming exports, Germany reportedly required Israel to sign a clause ensuring that German weapons would be used in accordance with international law to mitigate the legal risks Berlin might incur in domestic and international courts for being complicit in Israeli war crimes.

This episode is troubling. While German officials privately acknowledge their concerns about Israel’s potential war crimes and have hedged against legal repercussions, they have continued to voice public support for Israel. Berlin has not publicly acknowledged that the Israel Defense Forces’ conduct in Gaza has amounted to violations of international law, let alone war crimes—even though the German government fears that’s the case.

International law draws a clear distinction between self-defense and collective punishment. Israeli authorities have demonstrably crossed this line—and Germany is complicit.

While the current cease-fire between Israel and Hamas is a welcome pause in fighting, it remains fragile. Berlin must reassess its arms export policy and halt any further weapons transfers to Israel that could be used to commit war crimes. Continued military support without accountability risks implicating Germany in violations of international law and Berlin breaching its obligations under the U.N. Arms Trade Treaty, which prohibits signatories to export weapons if they could be used to violate international law or facilitate human rights abuses.

Weapons supplies to Israel also undermine Germany’s credibility as a stated defender of human rights and the rules-based international order.

Germany’s unwavering support for Israel during the Gaza war has severely damaged its reputation in the Middle East in particular, with public opinion shifting dramatically against Berlin. The erosion of Germany’s soft power has strained its relationships with regional partners and undermined the trust built by decades of cultural, economic, political, and humanitarian engagement.

Meanwhile, Berlin’s abstention from U.N. votes for a cease-fire and continued arms exports to Israel have isolated Germany on the global stage. Nicaragua last year filed a case at the International Court of Justice accusing Germany of being complicit in genocide in Gaza; while the case was dismissed on procedural grounds, it underscores growing international concern over Germany’s role in the conflict.

To change its policy toward Israel, Germany must engage in honest soul-searching on its relationship with the country—a highly sensitive issue.

Germany should acknowledge that it bears a historical responsibility to Jewish people everywhere, rather than to Israel—a state. Even if Germany continues to feel a special commitment to Israel, it cannot allow this to override its obligations under international law—or its moral duty to protect civilian lives and uphold human rights. The German government must recognize that support for Israel does not require turning a blind eye to its violations of international law.

It also does not mean infringing on the civil liberties of those Germans who defend Palestinian human rights. Germany should allow for nuanced discussions that are critical of Israel while also protecting Jewish and Muslim communities.

According to opinion polls, some 60 percent of Germans oppose continued arms exports to Israel. Yet, even ahead of this month’s elections, almost all major political parties in Germany have supported further weapons exports to Israel. Rather than continuing to be out of sync with the public, Berlin should leverage its unique relationship with Israel to encourage compliance with international norms—and work toward a just and lasting peace. Germany’s credibility depends on it.