When he announced on Friday, August 8, that Germany was suspending its arms deliveries to Israel in response to the Israeli government's decision to gradually occupy the Gaza Strip, Christian Democratic Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU, center-right) deeply angered part of his camp. The move sparked a barrage of criticism that did not die down despite his repeated attempts to justify the decision and rally his party.

The Christian Social Union in Bavaria (CSU), the CDU's allied party, was up in arms. "This is a bad decision. This foreign policy error will have lasting repercussions," said its former president, Horst Seehofer, who also served as Angela Merkel's interior minister. "The CSU was not consulted on this decision, and we regard this as highly problematic," added Alexander Hoffmann, leader of the CSU MPs in the Bundestag, the German parliament. "It would represent a break with decades of continuity in foreign policy toward Israel and, as such, requires at least an explanation. We will be holding internal coalition discussions on this issue."

These two statements summed up the main criticisms leveled at the chancellor. Merz acted unilaterally, without consulting his party – a move he has done before in his three months in office – on a highly sensitive topic given Germany's history. Since Merkel's speech to the Knesset (Israel's parliament) – the first by a German head of government before Israeli lawmakers – in March 2008, Israel's "security" has been regarded by Germany as a "reason of state."

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