Germany should completely stop supplying weapons to Israel: residents

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Germany should completely stop supplying weapons to Israel: residents

2025-08-11 09:53 Last Updated At：08-12 00:07

Germany should completely stop providing weapons to Israel, not just over Gaza Strip concerns, said residents at an anti-war event in Berlin.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced on Friday that Germany will suspend all exports of military equipment that could be used in the Gaza Strip.

The decision came after the Israeli cabinet approved military operations aimed at occupying the Gaza Strip. Merz urged the Israeli government to "refrain from taking further steps to annex the West Bank".

"The supply of weapons to Israel should be completely stopped, not just those that could be used in Gaza, but a complete halt to all weapons shipments to Israel," said a resident in Berlin.

"Chancellor Merz has finally responded, announcing a suspension of weapons exports to Israel for use in Gaza. However, the situation has gotten out of control, and Germany's actions are simply insufficient. This decision seems strategic, seemingly designed to appease the media, and the decision is not convincing but quite contradictory," said another Berlin resident.

Many German politicians believe that supporting Israel is an important part of Germany's atonement for the Nazi Holocaust.

However, some German residents said that Germany cannot support Israel indefinitely, but should change its position in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and the two-state solution is the correct way to ultimately resolve the Palestinian-Israeli issue.

"We believe that the war waged by Israel in the Gaza Strip is inhumane. We think that the victims of the past are now becoming perpetrators. We are angry that the German government has not taken the right stance," said a Berlin resident.

"Yes, I hope that the two-state solution can be realized. However, since Israel has occupied a lot of Palestinian land and continues to expand and build settlements, it is becoming increasingly difficult to achieve this goal. But I always support the two-state solution and I hope it will eventually be realized," said another Berlin resident.

An opinion poll released by the German Forsa polling institute on Sunday showed that more than half of Germans support the recognition of the Palestinian state.

In late July, Forsa asked 1,001 Germans whether Germany should now recognize the independent existence of a Palestinian state, and 54 percent of respondents answered yes, while 31 percent said no.

UNGA President warns global multilateral system "under attack"

The multilateral system is "under attack" amid global turmoil, President of the 80th UN General Assembly Annalena Baerbock warned in her remarks on Wednesday.

In her briefing on the priorities for the resumed 80th Session of the General Assembly, the UNGA president noted that the current multilateral system does not collapse all in a sudden, but "crumbles piece by piece" in divisions, compromises, and lack of political commitment.

The president called all the UN member states to defend the UN Charter and international law and promote cross-regional cooperation.

She also urged to push forward the work of the UNGA on certain critical issues with a strong majority, rather than an absolute consensus among all member states. Such act is not a failure of multilateralism, but "an affirmation of it," she said.

The foundational principles of the institution should not be eroded by appeasement, she said, calling the member states to show courage, leadership, and responsibility at the UN's "critical make-or-break moment."

"The UN needs you. Your support, your leadership, your principle, stand, your cross-regional cooperation, if we are to preserve and modernize this institution, if we are to make it, rather than break it," she said.