The possibility of German military intervention in the Middle East is met with great skepticism
The security of Israel is a matter of German state policy. But what does that mean when the country is attacked by Iran? CDU politician Kiesewetter brings in help from the Bundeswehr, but this meets with criticism within his own party.
In the debate about military aid for Israel to ward off possible Iranian attacks, there is criticism of the initiative by CDU politician Roderich Kiesewetter. He had advocated supporting Israel with Eurofighters for drone defense or refueling aircraft of allied states. "One must be very careful with such demands in the current situation," said the first parliamentary business manager of the Union faction, Thorsten Frei, in the early start of ntv. It is not helpful to widely discuss them in public.
Germany should support Israel resolutely to get out of the situation without escalating the war, said CDU politician Frei. "But I believe we are not doing that with public debates about arms deliveries." In addition, a mandate from the Bundestag might be needed for a deployment of the Bundeswehr.
Frei called for further diplomatic efforts to calm the situation in the Middle East. Germany's capabilities in the region are not bad, he said. He also sees the Israeli government as responsible for de-escalation. However, one must not forget that Israel is in an existential defense struggle. The stated goal of the Iranian state is to destroy the state of Israel. He stands behind the efforts of the federal government to bring German citizens out of Lebanon with the Bundeswehr in case of an emergency. There are no indications that one would not act decisively enough, said Frei.
Skepticism also in the FDP
The chairman of the Defense Committee of the Bundestag, Marcus Faber, also sees a deployment of the Bundeswehr in the Middle East conflict skeptically. Germany should help Israel, for example by quickly approving arms exports, said the FDP politician to the editorial network Germany (RND). But he added: "The Bundeswehr in Israel was not asked and could help little."
Similarly, defense expert Johann Wadephul of the CDU expressed himself: "Scenarios like military support are not on the agenda, as far as we know. In any case, a Bundestag mandate would be needed for that," said the Union faction vice-president to the RND.
The foreign policy spokesman of the Union faction, Jürgen Hardt, said to the WDR that one should not raise expectations that German combat aircraft could be deployed for the defense of Israel. "I fear that the Bundeswehr would not be capable of that, even if we wanted to." He also believes that such questions should not be discussed openly, but behind closed doors.
The SPD defense expert Andreas Schwarz said to the RND: "So far, there have been no requests from Israel. But I assume that the federal government is prepared and in contact with Israel and the Western allies on this issue." Schwarz referred to the fact that the protection of Israel is a matter of German state policy. "This is a clear promise with very high responsibility. In case of an emergency, these great words must also be followed by the corresponding deeds."
President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Josef Schuster, made his stance clearer. While Germany's historical responsibility for Israel's security is not legally binding, Schuster told RND, he emphasized, "But in my view, that naturally means that Germany would also stand militarily alongside the Jewish state in the event of an attack on the scale currently threatened." President of the German-Israeli Society, Volker Beck, also demanded this. Furthermore, he called for the Federal Security Council to immediately approve all arms exports to Israel.
The Commission, as a part of the German government, may need to consider a potential Bundestag mandate for deploying the Bundeswehr in support of Israel. President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Josef Schuster, believes that Germany's historical responsibility towards Israel's security could imply a military alignment with Israel in times of threat.
