German public opinion shifts in response to Israeli actions in Gaza, with a majority calling for a halt in arms exports.
According to a Forsa survey commissioned by the German weekly magazine “Stern” and RTL Deutschland, a significant majority of Germans, 75 percent, are in favor of temporarily halting arms exports to Israel in the wake of its actions in Gaza. Only 14 percent of those surveyed support continuing to export weapons from Germany to Israel, while 11 percent remained undecided.
The survey, conducted on May 28 and 30, polled 1,000 individuals and found that across party lines, there is a significant majority in favor of a halt in arms exports. The strongest opposition to further arms exports came from supporters of the Left Party (94 percent), the Greens (78 percent), the Alternative for Germany (77 percent), the Social Democratic Party (76 percent) and the Christian Democratic Union and Christian Social Union (71 percent).
While there are still supporters of continued arms exports, particularly among the ranks of the Social Democratic Party (21 percent) and the Christian Democratic Union and Christian Social Union (18 percent), the survey indicates a significant shift in public opinion following the criticism of Israel’s actions by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and the announcement by Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul of a review of arms exports.