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Germany is discussing providing lethal military aid to Israel to help it suppress Hamas and prevent “apocalyptic” intervention by other hostile regional powers.
Two armed Heron combat drones leased by the German military have been returned to the Israeli military, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said. Pistorius told reporters in Brussels on Thursday that talks had begun on sending German ammunition to Israeli warships.
The Israeli military is expected to launch a ground invasion of the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip in the coming days, after the group carried out horrific attacks on Israeli civilians over the weekend in the worst single-day loss of Jewish life in Israel. massacre.
“Germany has only one place – and that place is on the side of Israel,” Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Thursday morning in an address to lawmakers. He added that Germany’s support meant more than just Verbal support.
Before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year, Germany’s long-standing official policy had been not to supply arms to conflict zones. Despite Berlin’s promise of a major rethink in security policy, opposition to German military involvement in foreign conflicts remains deep-rooted in German society.
“I have asked Prime Minister (Benjamin) Netanyahu to stay in close contact and inform us of any needs,” Scholz told the Bundestag, Germany’s parliament.
Berlin has told Israel it will provide medical facilities and support to injured Israeli service members. Scholz said the German government would “immediately review and approve” other requests.
“Israel’s security is Germany’s national interest,” he continued, noting Germany’s historical responsibility to protect the Jewish homeland in atonement for Nazism.
Scholz will meet the Emir of Qatar in Berlin on Thursday afternoon. Qatar, home to Hamas’s official leadership, has positioned itself as a negotiator in the conflict.
Scholz said he would also have a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday.
A key issue discussed with the two leaders will be the fate of dozens of international and Israeli hostages held by Hamas in attacks in southern Israel.
The talks will also focus on ways to contain the conflict. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Israel on Thursday in a show of solidarity but also aimed at deterring Israel’s opportunistic enemies.
There have been several incursions between Israeli forces and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia in Lebanon, and experts have warned that the Hezbollah militia may try to take advantage of the current situation in Israel to launch attacks of its own.
“Hezbollah must not interfere in the fighting,” Scholz warned in his speech. “There is the threat of devastating fires – with impacts that could reach as far away as North Africa and Yemen. We are working with our partners to use all avenues to prevent this apocalyptic scenario from happening.”
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