A German Fuchs’ armored vehicle

GAZA CITY, December 4 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - The Palestinian leadership called on Germany to turn down an Israeli request for armored personnel carriers, asserting they will be used against Palestinian civilians.

The Palestinians, in a statement published here Tuesday, December 3, also voiced fears over further U.S. financial assistance to Israel, which would “encourage the right-wing government in its war,” against them, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported Wednesday, December 4.

The first issue centers on whether Germany, which has tight rules over the export of military hardware to crisis zones, will comply with an Israeli request for Fuchs troop carriers.

The troop carriers are lightly armed and can carry up to 10 soldiers each, but the concern in Germany's center-left ruling coalition is that they may be deployed in Israeli-occupied Palestinian territory.

German criteria normally rule out the supply of military hardware for offensive - as opposed to defensive - purposes.

“We hope that our friends in Germany will not provide the armored cars to the Israeli government at a time when it is waging a criminal war against our people,” the Palestinian leadership said at the end of a meeting, in the West bank town of Ramallah, presided over by President Yasser Arafat.

In a statement published in the German daily Bild Tuesday, an Israeli defense spokesman claimed his government would not use the vehicles against Palestinians.

Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, describing those vehicles as “purely defensive”, said last week that Berlin was likely to agree to the request.

But since then, lawmakers from the ruling Social Democrats and Greens have publicly questioned whether the delivery of the armored personnel carriers can take place.

Defense Minister Peter Struck has said the latest request from the Israeli army would be checked against German export guidelines before making any decision.

The final decision will be made by the federal security council, which is composed of the ministers of defense, economy, foreign affairs, cooperation and of the interior, and is chaired by the chancellor.

Following the U.S.’s footsteps, Schroeder said in an interview released Tuesday, November 26, his government plans to grant Israel’s request for U.S.-made Patriot anti-missile missiles, saying it was the country’s “historic and moral duty.”

Speaking to the Die Zeit weekly, Schroeder said that “if the Israeli government needs this increased security, we are going to help - and in time.”

“Our historic and moral duty demands it,” he said in reference to the Israeli request to supply the missiles.

He claimed the Patriot system was purely for defensive purposes.

“It offers protection against missile attacks. The security of the state of Israel and its citizens is extremely important to us.”

German government sources said earlier Tuesday that the country had three Patriot systems which it could supply to Israel.

“Israel offered to purchase a stock of Patriot anti-missile missiles which had been superseded” by a later upgraded version of the U.S.-made missile, an Israeli defense spokesman said.

German Defense Minister Peter Struck said Berlin had agreed “in principle” to the Israeli request two years ago.

But the request was renewed last week, and Berlin is now examining “the arrangements and the date for the supply of the weapons.”

During the 1991 Gulf War, the German government, then led by chancellor Helmut Kohl, granted an identical Israel request for Patriots, ground-to-air defense systems which can be targeted to shoot down incoming missiles.

A defense ministry spokesman said he did not know if Israel wanted to buy or merely lease the Patriots.

During the Gulf War to drive Iraqi forces out of Kuwait, Israel was pounded by dozens of Scud missiles from Iraq despite the presence of earlier-model Patriot batteries.

Quoting high-ranking officials, however, the Israeli Public Television claimed Israel would allegedly decline the offer on the grounds that it already had Hetz (arrow) anti-missile missiles developed in cooperation with the United States to face up to a possible Iraqi attack.

Since August, the Israeli occupation army has had Hetz batteries deployed north of Tel Aviv in case of an American war on Iraq.

On November 7, an Israeli-American team successfully tested the latest Patriot model, an Israeli military source said.

The missiles have been deployed to protect Israel's nuclear plant at Dimona in the Negev.

Meanwhile, regarding the issue of fresh U.S. aid to Israel, the Palestinian leadership said Tuesday it feared such financial help could “encourage a government which favors war, aggression and occupation... over the peace of the brave”.

Last month, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said Washington was studying an Israeli request for aid of up to 14 billion dollars in loan guarantees and new military assistance.

Powell said Washington was sympathetic to the appeal and would consider it “as we should for a good friend like Israel,” but downplayed Arab concerns that the money will be used for Jewish settlements.

The United States has reportedly offered Israel a new generation of Patriot missiles. The new Patriots specially designed to destroy Scud missiles in flight would be placed under the control of U.S. troops deployed in Israel.

The United States is Israel’s main political and financial backer, supplying it with economic and military aid totaling nearly three billion dollars annually.

But it has recently expressed criticism of the Jewish state’s tough tactics against the Palestinians, notably at a time when Washington wants to tune down their conflict as it pursues its campaign against Iraq.  

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