The Federal Constitutional Court rejects a lawsuit against German tank transmission deliveries to Israel. The legal recourse thus remains blocked for those affected – even if the weapons are used in violation of international law.

The German Federal Constitutional Court does not accept a constitutional complaint against German arms exports to Israel for decision. The court in Karlsruhe made this ruling public on Thursday. The plaintiff was a Palestinian living in the Gaza Strip, challenging the delivery of transmissions from the Augsburg-based company Renk for Israeli Merkava and Namer tanks. The export licences had been issued by the German Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control.

The court does acknowledge that the Basic Law imposes an obligation on the German state to protect humanitarian international law and international human rights for foreigners as well – as stated in the so-called Ramstein ruling from last year. However, the Palestinian living in Gaza had not been able to explain to the administrative courts dealing with the matter how he had been violated in his own rights by the German equipment for Israeli tanks, the court explains.

The European Centre for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR), based in Berlin, which supported the complainant, sharply criticises this argument: „Protective obligations do exist, but individuals affected cannot generally derive a claim to specific measures from them”. According to the ECCHR, the transmission parts for Israeli tanks are being used in large numbers in Gaza – reportedly and repeatedly in violation of international law.

The plaintiff from Gaza has suffered the most severe personal losses: his wife and child were killed in an air strike in February 2024, later also his father and several brothers. Today he lives as a multiple internally displaced person under precarious conditions.

The ruling from Karlsruhe is final. The ECCHR nevertheless announced that it intends to continue exhausting the legal possibilities in the administrative courts in order to stop what the organisation considers unlawful arms exports to Israel. The ceasefire announced in October 2025 has brought the people in Gaza little security. According to international organisations, more than 574 people have been killed since then, including over 120 children.

Also on Thursday, Bundestag President Julia Klöckner (Christian Democratic Union) visited the part of the Gaza Strip controlled by the Israeli army – it is the first such gesture by a high ranking German politician since the beginning of the Israeli attack on Gaza in October 2023. Criticism of this „catastrophe tourism” came from the Left Party, amongst others. This enables „no genuine exchange with the Palestinian population, although this would be urgently necessary”, said foreign policy spokesperson Lea Reisner, for instance.

Reisner also pointed out that Germany, as Israel’s second-largest arms supplier in the conflict, bears particular responsibility. Despite numerous reports of Israeli crimes under international law, interim decisions by the International Court of Justice in the South Africa versus Israel proceedings, and existing arrest warrants against the Israeli Prime Minister and his former Defence Minister, the Federal Government continues to approve arms exports. These have totalled over €606 million in the past two years.

The Federal Constitutional Court’s decision also affects other proceedings. These are being conducted by the Berlin lawyer Beate Bahnweg before higher administrative courts in North Rhine-Westphalia and Berlin-Brandenburg, amongst others. They concern the provision of German drones for the Gaza war as well as the delivery of another submarine to Israel. Bahnweg also represents Palestinian victims.

„Karlsruhe considers it sufficient that the legislature has taken into account compliance with international law and human rights by law”, the lawyer tells „nd”. Whether these are actually being observed by the Federal Government cannot be examined.

German components for Israeli tanks could also come from Bosch – via indirect routes. The electrical giant acquired the Israeli company Elmo Motion Control in 2022, a manufacturer of servo drives established since 1988. The company was listed as an official supplier to the Israeli defence industry. Elmo described itself as a prime contractor for the Israeli Merkava battle tank.

A spokesman would not confirm whether this contract continues. „Bosch is not a defence company and military business is not a strategic business field”, was the response to an nd enquiry. However, many civilian Bosch products could „be used in defence goods or for military purposes – this also includes components from Elmo”, said the spokesman on Wednesday. Since the takeover by Bosch, Elmo has been „gradually discontinuing the specific development of products for military purposes, subject to contractual obligations”.

Published in German in „nd“.

Image: Israeli Merkava tank (Nehemia Gershuni-Aylho www.ngphoto.biz, CC BY-SA 3.0).