Germany became the first European country to offer direct military aid to Israel on Thursday while promising a crackdown on Hamas terrorist supporters at home.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz underlined Germany’s historical responsibility for Israel’s security as cause for the offer which has already seen the Jewish state request ammunition for its warships and military attack drones.
AP reports the Defense Ministry said it agreed to an Israeli request to use up to two of five Heron TP combat drones currently leased by the German military and were already in Israel for the training of German servicepeople.
File/Data sensors protrude from the wing of the German-supplied Eitan, the Israeli Air Force’s latest generation of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), as it is displayed during a ceremony introducing it into the 210th UAV squadron. The Eitan, or Heron TP, can carry a heavy payload and its 20-hour high-altitude flying time will allow it to operate as far away as Iran. (Photo by David Silverman/Getty Images)
Defense Minister Boris Pistorius noted in Brussels that Israel has also requested ammunition for warships, a request that will now be discussed.
“Over 1,000 citizens of Israel have been killed in these terror acts. Thousands of them were severely injured and are fighting for their lives in the hospitals of Israel. In a country with 9 million inhabitants, that means that nearly everybody knows one of the victims,” Scholz said in a speech at the Bundestag, Germany’s lower house of parliament.
“In the whole country of Israel currently, there is mourning … Dear friends in Israel, we mourn with you and we share your suffering,” the chancellor said.
Scholz slammed the actions of Hamas and said Israel was entitled to defend itself.
“At this moment, there is only one place for Germany — the place at Israel’s side,” he told lawmakers.
“Our own history, our responsibility arising from the Holocaust, makes it a perpetual task for us to stand up for the security of the state of Israel,” he added.
Scholz noted thousands of people have demonstrated in support of Israel in recent days, but said “there were also other, shameful pictures from Germany last weekend.”
A muslim preacher calls on muslims to show themselves during a banned demonstration in support of Palestinians, at Richardplatz, Neukoelln, Berlin on October 11, 2023, days after Hamas terrorists launched a surprise attack on Israel. (JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP via Getty Images)
Scholz said Germany will issue a formal ban on activity by or in support of Hamas, which is already listed by the European Union as a terror group.
He said groups such as Samidoun, which was behind the weekend pastry action, will be banned.
Scholz declared there will be “zero tolerance for antisemitism” in Germany.
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