A group of lawyers in Germany say they're filing a criminal complaint against the government for delivering arms to Israel. Chancellor Friedrich Merz and some senior members of his cabinet are named in the case.

Berlin

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A group of lawyers in Berlin is seeking to persuade federal prosecutors to investigate senior German officials and weapons manufacturers over their role in supplying arms to Israel. This legal effort follows widespread demonstrations in German cities, where protesters have called for accountability regarding the government's arms exports to Israel. The lawyers argue that Germany has a duty to investigate these actions, despite a similar case failing previously.

Germany's longstanding support for Israel, rooted in its historical responsibility, has come under increasing scrutiny, with recent opinion polls indicating public desire for stronger measures, including sanctions. While the outcome of the legal case remains uncertain, its initiation is expected to increase pressure on Chancellor Friedrich Merz and could influence Germany's broader relationship with Israel.

Germany lawyers plan case against senior officials

For many months demonstrations like this one last weekend have taken place in German cities. Thousands of people demanding their government stop arming Israel and calling for ministers and weapons manufacturing bosses to face legal repercussions for their decisions. Now a group of lawyers in Berlin is trying to persuade federal prosecutors to make that happen. The genocide against the Palestinian people has been live streamed since almost two years. It is time for justice and accountability. The problem for these lawyers is that another case was launched last year using substantially the same arguments and failed. This time these lawyers say their chances are greater. If Germany considers itself as a state where the rule of law is meaningful or something well at all actually exists then there is a duty to start with investigations at least against these eleven persons. We approached the ministries and companies named in the lawsuit for comment but no one was available. Germany has long supported Israel's right to exist and given it the weapons to do so because it feels it has a unique historical responsibility after the crimes of the Nazi period. And although ministers did impose restrictions last month, a recent opinion poll suggested most Germans want Chancellor Friedrich Merz to go much further, including imposing sanctions, something he has so far ruled out. On the broader scale there's no question that Germany's relationship with Israel is making it increasingly isolated. When other EU leaders have referred to genocide in Gaza, Friedrich Merz has not. When others recognize Palestine as a state, Friedrich Merz has said it's too soon. For the German government the recognition of Palestine's statehood is currently not up for debate. We continue to see such recognition as one of the last steps, not one of the first, on the path to a two-state solution. We won't know for some time whether this legal case will ever reach a court. The last one did not. But its mere existence will intensify the pressure on Friedrich Merz both here and across Europe fundamentally to change his country's relationship with Israel. Dominic Cain, Al Jazeera, at the German Chancellery.

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Germany lawyers plan case against senior officials

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