Eighty years after the Holocaust, Israel is arming Germany

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/11/15/eighty-years-after-the-holocaust-israel-is-arming-germany/

Posted by TheTelegraph

3 comments
  1. **From The Telegraph:**

    It was the moment that hailed an extraordinary new partnership between the descendants of a genocidal regime and its victims.

    At the G7 summit in June, Friedrich Merz, the German chancellor, was challenged by a reporter about Israel’s ferocious bombardment of Tehran in the Israel-Iran war, as it raged on 6,000 miles away.

    “Das ist die Drecksarbeit, die Israel macht, für uns alle,” Mr Merz replied, with a stony glare at his interviewer: “Israel is doing the dirty work for all of us.”

    To German ears, it was an unusually blunt and bellicose remark for a postwar chancellor. But it revealed something quite profound about Mr Merz’s world view: that Germany’s security now depends on Jews, the very people it once sought to annihilate.

    Mr Merz, the centre-Right Christian Democrats [CDU] leader, has vowed that Germany is “back” as he draws up plans to build “the strongest conventional army in Europe” to confront Russia.

    The former banking executive has reversed decades of underinvestment in the Bundeswehr [German armed forces], which once sent soldiers on an exercise with broomsticks instead of guns, by passing reforms that allow potentially unlimited defence spending.

    His coalition is also trying to pass a new law conscripting young men into the army by lottery, and is working through a €377bn (£330bn) “wish list” of new equipment for the Bundeswehr.

    But what is perhaps most striking about Germany’s rearmament strategy is the extent to which it will rely on missiles, drones and air defence systems provided by Israel.

    Eighty years on from the Holocaust, senior Israeli defence officials have told The Telegraph they are not only playing a key role in Germany’s new rearmament policy, but are “proud” to do so.

    MPs in Mr Merz’s CDU party also told The Telegraph that Germany had become “hugely dependent” on Israeli defence technology, as it faces increased aggression from both Russia and the Iranian regime.

    Leaked copies of the German wish list for rearmament state that €700m (£600m) has been earmarked for self-detonating drones produced by the Israeli arms firm Elbit. A further €100m (£88m) is also being set aside for Israeli ammunition to be used in Germany’s fleet of Heron drones, made by Israel Aerospace Industries.

    **Read more here:** [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/11/15/eighty-years-after-the-holocaust-israel-is-arming-germany/](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/11/15/eighty-years-after-the-holocaust-israel-is-arming-germany/)

  2. The buying of Spike’s is not so weird if i believe. The Israeli’s are one of the countries that are still able to take orders and deliver these missilles.

    Also, the Dutch army already uses Spike and they are integrated within the German army with a joint Army Corps.

  3. Very far from just Germany. I have been following Israel weapon trade deals with other nations lately… Here are some, only very recent articles:

    * [Greece in talks to procure Israeli air defense systems](https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-greece-in-talks-to-procure-israeli-air-defense-systems-1001526255) | Concerned about Turkey, Greece is speeding up negotiations to buy air defense systems from Israel Aerospace and Rafael for €3 billion, according to reports in the country.

    * [India to approve deals worth $3.7b for Israeli defense missiles](https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-india-to-approve-deals-worth-37b-for-israeli-defense-missiles-1001525182)

    * [Israeli drone co UVision in $982m deal with US Army](https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-israeli-drone-co-uvision-in-982m-deal-with-us-army-1001523225) | UVision has teamed with Maryland-based Mistral Inc. in the multi-year contract for loitering munitions.

    * [Cyprus deploys IAI’s Barak MX air defense system – report](https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-cyprus-deploys-iais-barak-mx-air-defense-system-report-1001522548) | Amid growing tensions with Turkey, Cyprus has deployed Israel Aerospace System’s Barak MX, the “Army Recognition” website reports.

    * [Israel’s Rafael to equip South Korea’s K2 tanks with Trophy defense system in first-ever deal](https://www.ynetnews.com/business/article/s1ajtipcgg)

    * [Lockheed Martin to sell Rafael Spike missiles to US Army](https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-lockheed-martin-to-sell-rafael-spike-missiles-to-us-army-1001520801) | US defense giant Lockheed Martin successfully completed a trial for the US Army of Rafael’s Spike non-line of sight anti-tank missile, as part of a deal for the development and testing of precision-guided munitions.

    * [Israeli joint venture wins huge Indian army rifle deal](https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-israeli-joint-venture-wins-huge-indian-army-rifle-deal-1001524541) | Sami Katsav’s Israel Weapons Systems and India’s Adani Group’s joint venture PLR Systems will deliver 425,000 CQB carbine assault rifles to the Indian Army.

    * [Elbit wins Peruvian PULS artillery system tender](https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-elbit-wins-peruvian-puls-artillery-system-tender-1001516935) – The Israeli defense electronics company will cooperate with local company FAME in manufacturing the systems

    * [Rafael wins $2.2b Romanian air defense deal](https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-rafael-wins-22b-romanian-air-defense-deal-1001514565)

    There are many more…

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