THE HAGUE, August 5. /TASS/. Imposing an embargo on weapons exports to Israel remains an almost unachievable goal for European Union countries, but even if the idea is implemented, it is unlikely to alter the Jewish state’s policies, the Dutch TV channel NOS reports.

According to the broadcaster, Slovenia is the only EU nation that has fully stopped issuing export licences for weapons supplies to Israel. However, the measure is largely symbolic because the country’s arms exports to the Jewish state were minimal.

Pieter Wezeman, an expert with the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), emphasizes the US remains the main exporter of heavy weapons to Israel, while Europe mostly supplies components for Israel’s defense industry.

Historical responsibility

As for the EU, Germany remains the largest exporter of weapons to Israel, accounting for about one-third of supplies, NOS notes. Notably, Berlin increased the number of approved export licenses significantly after the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel.

The TV channel points to rising calls in Germany for a revision of the country’s export policy. The Bundestag faction of the Social Democratic Party demands an end to supplies, but the bloc of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Christian Social Union in Bavaria (CSU), led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, opposes the initiative. The German authorities believe that a move to end weapons supplies could be seen as Germany’s "departure from its historical responsibility" for the security of the Jewish state.

Mutual benefit

Meanwhile, NOS notes that Israel, in turn, exports weapons to a number of European countries, including the Netherlands, which is interested in purchasing rocket launchers, attack drones and air defense systems. If Europe introduces restrictions, the Jewish state may retaliate in kind, complicating EU nations’ efforts to upgrade their armed forces.

Human rights activists and some European politicians have repeatedly called for an embargo on EU weapons exports to Israel.