Israel once sold itself as the “most moral” army in the world to promote its arms and expertise to the West. Now, after October 7, the country is embracing its image as a garrison state to rebrand its weapons and worldview — and Europe is buying it.

While Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s announcement that Germany is stopping arms deliveries to Israel made international headlines as a shocking policy reversal, the details tell a different story.

As Israel’s genocidal war against Gaza continues unabated, the Israeli economy is facing a catastrophe. The physical destruction in Israel from the war has been minimal, but one thing has been destroyed: its future.

Israel’s status as a global leader in the arms industry is overhyped, but it is already weaponizing artificial intelligence to legitimize apartheid.