German Civil Servants Call for Halt in Arms Deliveries to Israel

"Israel is committing crimes in Gaza that are in clear contradiction to international law and thus to the Constitution, which we are bound to as federal civil servants and public employees," the group said in a statement, citing the International Court of Justice’s ruling in January that Israel’s military actions are “plausible acts of genocide”.

The organizers said that approximately 600 civil servants have expressed support for the initiative, which has been gaining momentum over months through professional networks and word-of-mouth across various ministries.

The statement also called on the German government to pressure Israel for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, renew payments to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), and actively advocate for the recognition of a Palestinian state.

Germany approved arms exports to Israel worth 326.5 million euros ($354 million) in 2023, a significant increase from the previous year, making it the second-largest supplier after the United States.

The civil servants sent the statement via email to ministries last week, choosing to remain anonymous due to the sensitive nature of the content and concerns about potential state repression.

Al Jazeera verified the identities of two of the initiators, one of whom holds a senior management position, describing a "climate of fear" within the civil service regarding criticism of Israel's actions.

After internal complaints to ministers about supporting Israel’s war crimes dating from back in October, the manager was warned against talking about it. One director of development even advised against discussions via email, and suggested instead to only use phones so as not to leave a paper trail. “It has been hell for all of us,” said the manager, who singlehandedly gathered more than 100 signatures from colleagues and through professional networks.

Signatories include civil servants from various ministries, with a notable presence of younger women and individuals with international experience.

Diplomats, in particular, are concerned about the potential damage to Germany's reputation and international relationships, especially with Muslim countries.

The group plans to publish the statement on LinkedIn on April 8, coinciding with Germany's defense against charges brought by Nicaragua at the Hague that Germany’s support for Israel violates the Genocide Convention.

Internationally, civil servants are increasingly speaking out against Western support for Israel, with recent statements from 800 civil servants in the US and the European Union warning of potential violations of international law.

One initiator of the statement, Angelique Eijpe, resigned from the Dutch foreign ministry over Gaza policy, expressing concerns about the disregard for international humanitarian law.

Another initiator of the German civil servants’ statement, a trained jurist, expressed fear not just of losing employment for being involved in the statement, but of prosecution and even imprisonment, citing the “utterly lawless situation” in the country post-October 7 where people are arrested, sometimes brutally, with spurious legal justifications. “There are no rights in Germany at the moment when it comes to Palestine,” the initiator said.

“We wrote this letter because …. this scale of destruction and violence, the atrocities we are seeing are unprecedented in recent times. This is a huge threat to all of our democratic systems if we justify killing thousands of children,” the initiator said, adding that senior ministers were creating a “collective governmental gaslighting of what we are seeing on the ground”.

Germany’s foreign ministry did not respond immediately to a request for comment.