German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is visiting Israel for the first time since taking office in May.His visit comes just days after Germany decided to lift a three-month suspension on arms exports to Israel that it said could be used in the Gaza Strip.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of listMerz, who has said he does not consider Israel’s actions in Gaza to be genocide, is scheduled to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday to discuss bilateral relations, the ceasefire in Gaza, and other matters.Germany is Israel’s second-largest arms supplier after the United States and its fifth-largest export partner, long standing as one of Israel’s staunchest supporters.Germany’s weapons sales to IsraelAccording to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), between 2019 and 2023, the US was the largest supplier of arms to Israel, providing 69 percent of military equipment, while Germany was the second-largest, supplying about 30 percent. Together, these two countries account for 99 percent of Israel’s arms imports.In 2023, the German government authorised 308 military export licences to Israel, worth 326.5 million euros ($380m), a tenfold increase from 32.3 million euros ($38m) in 2022.Since 2003, Germany has sold 3.3 billion euros’ ($3.8bn) worth of arms to Israel, primarily exporting naval equipment, including the Sa’ar 6 corvettes, which were used to attack Gaza and enforce a naval blockade. (Al Jazeera)Israel also operates German-built Dolphin-class submarines, which are the mainstay of the Israeli Navy’s submarine fleet. Advertisement Additionally, Germany has sold a wide range of smaller munitions; the German-built “Matador” shoulder-fired rocket launcher has b …
