The arming of Israel now, so that it can carry out its plan to take control of Gaza and carry out ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity in the territory, is one of the most antisemitic and anti-Israeli measures imaginable.

In this regard, the German Government’s decision to halt arms supplies to Israel is a courageous demonstration of moral values and also of genuine friendship toward Israel.

Germany has announced that it is halting the export to Israel of military equipment that could be used in the Strip. Post-Holocaust Germany had to make this decision; had it continued to deliver weapons to a country that is committing genocide, this would have proved that it had learned nothing from its past.

Just as it has been clear over the years that Germany cannot speak out against Israel and that the country that perpetrated the Holocaust has an obligation to ensure the security of the state that rose from its ashes, so too it is clear that Germany must fight against any genocide and certainly not assist in its commission, even if the perpetrator is its beloved Israel.

By imposing a partial arms embargo on Israel, Germany proved that it is the vanguard of Europe and that it does not forget the Holocaust and its lessons. A Germany that continued to supply weapons to Israel would have become, like all of Israel’s current arms suppliers, its partner in genocide. And that is something that Germany, more than any other country in the world, may not do.

All those who help Israel commit genocide are, in effect, declaring that they hate the state no less than those who are outraged by its actions. To arm Israel now, demonstrates neither friendship toward the state nor concern for its fate. Supplying weapons to the aggressor in an illegitimate war that should have ended long ago, and whose aims are now futile and criminal, is to be complicit in a crime.

Germany has turned the old paradigm on its head: No assistance may be given to today’s Israel, certainly not weapons. Every plane and every shell, every missile ship and every cannon, will only kill more innocent people. The moment the attack on Gaza ceased to be an act of self-defence, it became unsupportable.

In light of the unbelievable support from the US, and the astonishing impotence of the opposition in Israel, there is no one who can stop the war. Europe can contribute to stopping it, even if not immediately.

But beyond the desire to stop the war, supplying arms to Israel is an act of hostility toward it. If only the Americans would understand this. Germany has the power to set the course: Concern for Israel’s fate does not include arming it for the purpose of implementing its insane plans in Gaza.

Instead of continuing to see all the protesters against Israel and against the war as antisemites, a cynical and effective manipulation of Jewish and Israeli propaganda, we should, in fact, view those who are arming Israel as the antisemites.

Of course, there are also manifestations of antisemitism within circles opposing Israel, but they are not the main thing. Most of the protesters are people of conscience who have been exposed to what Israelis have not been exposed to, and they cannot remain silent. What can be expected from citizens of the world who see images of hunger and death? Will they cheer for their perpetrators, or will they rise up against and even hate them?

The appreciation and sympathy for Israel will not return in the near future. The world will not forget Gaza anytime soon. The fact that Israel denies its actions and does not accept even the slightest responsibility will only push the world away from it.

Israelis in Europe can continue to play the victim card with every restaurant owner who kicks them out, but that’s how people of conscience who care behave. They are not antisemites. They are certainly better than those who push Israel to continue killing hundreds of babies from the air, the land and the sea and to equip it with weapons suitable for the slaughter of these babies.

Republished from Haaretz, 9 August 2025

The views expressed in this article may or may not reflect those of Pearls and Irritations.