The German government announced Monday that it will lift the partial arms embargo it imposed on Israel next week, after high-level diplomatic talks between senior Israeli and German officials.

Berlin’s announcement came after a conversation between Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Sunday and after Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar met with his German counterpart, Johann Wadephul, who recently visited Israel. The talks coincided with the current ceasefire in Gaza.

Sa’ar welcomed the move, writing on X: “I welcome Chancellor Merz’s move to revoke the decision regarding the partial ’embargo.’ I call on other governments to adopt similar decisions, following Germany.”

The embargo, introduced by Merz in August, had blocked German military exports to Israel if the equipment could be used in Gaza operations, citing concerns over civilian casualties. Defensive systems and weapons unrelated to the Gaza conflict were exempt.

The policy, driven by EU pressure, sparked significant backlash in Berlin. At the time, Netanyahu slammed the decision, stating, “Instead of supporting Israel’s just war against Hamas, which carried out the most horrific attack against the Jewish people since the Holocaust, Germany is rewarding Hamas terrorism by embargoing arms to Israel.”

A German government spokesperson said, “The government, as a rule, is returning to reviewing each case individually when it comes to arms export decisions and will respond to further developments,” adding that the partial arms embargo will be lifted on November 24.

Germany is Israel’s second-largest arms supplier after the United States.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)