Israeli Ambassador Ron Prosor said Germany’s decision to halt arms exports to Israel has dealt a serious blow to relations.
The ties had not been completely severed, he said in an interview with broadcaster Welt TV on Tuesday, but were “really under strain.”
Instead of discussing the disarmament of the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, there was now talk about disarming Israel.
“This is a celebration for Hamas,” he said.
Prosor acknowledged that Israel’s strategy could be debated. But if the response were to “leave the country without defence, without weapons,” he said, it would mean “leaving Israel defenceless.”
Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced last week that Germany would no longer export weapons to Israel that could be used in the Gaza Strip.
He justified the move by pointing to Israel’s plans to expand its military operations in the Palestinian territory, namely the takeover of Gaza City.
Merz stressed that the pause does not affect equipment for Israel’s self-defence, such as air and naval defence systems.
