After the Israeli Security Cabinet chose to escalate operations and take control of Gaza City, Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced that Germany would no longer approve arms exports that could be deployed in the Gaza Strip for the foreseeable future. The decision produced immediate anger within the conservative camp: the CSU complained about being excluded from the decision-making process, and loyal CDU supporters expressed frustration and disappointment. Critics connected the move to earlier policy choices—loosening the debt brake and refusing to lower the energy tax—and saw it as abandoning core Christian Democratic identity, prompting public distancing by CDU figures like Boris Rhein.
Let's assume for a moment that it is true what the confidant of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is saying over the phone. It is the confidant's own personal interpretation; it doesn't necessarily have to reflect the views of the chancellor. But he has known Merz for a long time and believes he knows how the chancellor ticks. If his assessment is correct, then the great commotion surrounding Merz's recent decision on Germany's Israel policy comes down to a single, simple question.
On Thursday night, the Israeli Security Cabinet agreed to further escalate military operations in the Gaza Strip and to take control of Gaza City. Just a few hours later, at 12:10 p.m. on Friday, the Chancellery responded. In a brief press statement, Merz announced that "under these circumstances," the German government would no longer approve for the foreseeable future arms exports "that could be deployed in the Gaza Strip."
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