Germans Mull Suspending Arms Deliveries to Israel Amid Conflict

As German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier continues his tour of the Middle East, opposition lawmakers and various political organizations at home are stepping up their criticism of Israel's military offensive in Lebanon which they view as disproportionate.

The Greens' defense expert, Winfried Nachtwei, said that Germany should stop all arms deliveries to Israel, arguing that Berlin was guilty of violating binding guidelines on the export of weapons to crisis areas. He added that any deliveries of weapons to the Middle East were politically harmful and not conducive to ending the conflict.

For the first time, a leading member of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Rolf Verleger, has also heavily criticized Israel's strategy, branding it a policy of violence. He said that the Jewish state was killing 10 Lebanese for every one Israeli killed and was destroying the infrastructure of a whole country indiscriminately.

The Central Council of Jews was quick to respond, saying Verleger's remarks were those of an individual and did not represent the views of the Council as a whole.

Moral and historical reasons

German arms deliveries to Israel have a long tradition. As early as 1964, German patrol boats and used tanks were sent to Israel. In 1991, German Patriot anti missile defense systems protected the Israeli population against Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein's scud missiles. While Germany opposed the US-led war against Iraq in 2003, Patriot systems were again sent to Israel.

"In the interest of Israeli security and the security of its citizens and for moral and historical reasons, we will help," then Chancellor Gerhard Schröder said at the time.

Delivering weapons parts

But the delivery of complete arms systems has been the exception. Germany mainly sends weapon components and technology that helps Israel to build weapons themselves. Some parts of the Merkava tank, such as the armoring and the gun, come from Germany, as do the engine and the transmission. The same is true for engines of Israeli speed boats as well as systems used in helicopters.

While the US delivers major weapons systems in the form of planes and helicopters such as F-16 fighter jets and Apache helicopters, which are used in Lebanon. They also contain German technology, including infrared modules needed to hone in on targets.

Between 1998 and 2000, Germany also delivered three Dolphin submarines to Israel that were largely paid for by German taxpayers. Two more submarine sales have been approved, according to Ottfried Nassauer of the Information Center for trans-Atlantic security in Berlin.

"Needless to say, the submarines are armed," he added. "They contain torpedoes, ship-to-ship missiles and can carry mines. They can carry long-range missiles that would allow Israel to store its nuclear weapons out of harms way in the sea."

Concerns about use

But Germany also rejects delivery requests for some weapons systems because they could be used against Palestinians.

"Israel doesn't get weapons that could obviously be used to combat Palestinian rioters," Nassauer said, adding that Israel has unsuccessfully tried to get an armed vehicle called Dingo, which can be used in densely populated areas to transport soldiers safely. Israel wants 103 vehicles.

"But at the end of June, the government approved the delivery of a test Dingo," Nassauer said, adding that German governments have a history of arguing that it's in Germany's interest to deliver weapons to Israel.

"Israel gets much, much more than most other countries," Nassauer said.