A majority of Germans want Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s government to put more pressure on the Israeli regime over its genocidal war on Gaza, according to a recent poll.
The poll, commissioned by the public broadcaster ARD and published on Thursday, reveals that 66% of participants believe that “the German government should put more pressure on the Israeli regime to change its stance on the Gaza Strip.”
Additionally, the poll indicates that 62% of Germans reject the idea that “Germany bears a greater responsibility than other countries for the protection of Israel due to its historical past.”
This representative survey, conducted by the Infratest dimap polling institute between August 4 and 6, interviewed 1,321 Germans to represent the country’s population.
The growing public pressure on the German government, fueled by reports of children suffering from starvation in Gaza, prompted Merz to announce a partial suspension of arms exports to Israel on Friday.
In response to the Israeli regime’s recent decision to expand its military assault and occupy Gaza City, Merz stated that the government would “not approve any exports of military equipment that could be used in the Gaza Strip until further notice.”
Germany to halt military exports to Israel over Gaza City occupation plan
Germany says it will suspend all military exports to Israel that could be used in Gaza.
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Germany provided 30% of Israel’s major arms imports from 2019 to 2023, primarily consisting of naval equipment, including Sa’ar 6-class frigates (MEKO A-100 Light Frigates), which have been used in the Gaza genocide.
For months, Merz resisted calls from opposition lawmakers to halt arms exports to occupied territories and dismissed appeals from EU members to suspend trade agreements with the regime, even as Israel’s genocide and blockade in Gaza resulted in over 61,300 deaths, with women and children comprising nearly half of the casualties.
Merz held a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday, during which Netanyahu expressed disappointment over the German government’s decision, according to an Israeli readout.
Germany’s long-standing support for the Israeli regime since World War II has been increasingly strained by the humanitarian crisis and rising death toll in Gaza.
Recent reports from Gaza health authorities indicate that more than 200 people, including 96 children, have died of hunger, as the starving population struggles to acquire food from perilous airdrops and deadly aid centers run by the Israel-US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
Source:Websites
