Posted on 08/15/2006 3:37:01 PM PDT by Pokey78
GERMANY was poised yesterday to shatter its most enduring postwar taboo by sending troops into the cauldron of Lebanon, where they risk coming into direct conflict with Israelis.
As troops from France, Italy, Spain, Turkey and other donor nations prepared to deploy in southern Lebanon, Germany’s late decision to participate ranked as its most delicate foreign policy move since it was held to account for the Holocaust in 1945. Since then, it has been unthinkable that Germany would put itself in a combat situation in which its soldiers could shoot at Jews.
The decision to deploy troops to join the 15,000-strong Unifil peacekeeping force was made by Angela Merkel, the Chancellor, in consultation with three Cabinet ministers. They agreed to take on such a big and unaccustomed role in their first venture into the Middle East because of the difficulties of recruiting enough well-trained and properly equipped peacekeepers for the mission.
“We have to do this, not in spite of the Holocaust but because of it,” Werner Sonne, a leading commentator, said on German state television. “If German troops guard Israel’s borders, they are they to protect Jewish lives. Frankly, there has never been a better reason to bring in soldiers in German uniform.”
Frau Merkel seems ready to send some 3,000 troops, of whom about 1,000 will be Pioneers with heavy earth-moving equipment to help to rebuild airports and harbours. The navy, already in the eastern Mediterranean on the operation “Active Endeavour”, would be strengthened with frigates to patrol the coast of Lebanon.
The German Air Force is being put on stand-by to fly reconnaissance missions from Cyprus and the German Border Service could be put on patrol along the LebaneseSyrian border to stop the transfer of weapons to Hezbollah. German soldiers could find themselves drawn into a firefight in any of these theatres.
France will command the force with lead elements arriving in the coming days. The French appear ready to send 5,000 soldiers, Italy 3,000 soldiers and Turkey a further 1,500. German diplomats say that one priority is to convince other Muslim countries, such as Malaysia and Indonesia, to commit troops as well.
Unifil is supposed to patrol the rugged region of southern Lebanon from the Israeli border north to the Litani river, an area dominated by Hezbollah. The peacekeepers intend to offer support to 15,000 troops from the Lebanese Army.
The biggest challenge facing the soldiers is upholding the commitment by the UN to “disarm” Hezbollah and return the region to Lebanese Government control. If the ceasefire breaks down and tit-for-tat attacks resume, peacekeepers will have to use force against the Israeli military or Hezbollah fighters, or do nothing.
Germany has been encouraged to send a big contingent by the Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, a sign that the Holocaust taboo is beginning to crumble. Yet some German observers believe that a degree of calculation lies behind the Israeli enthusiasm. In a fast-moving exchange of fire, German soldiers might give the Israelis the benefit of the doubt.
A foretaste of the problems facing Germany in its new Middle Eastern role came yesterday when Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the German Foreign Minister, called off a visit to Damascus after President Assad, of Syria, described Israel as “the enemy”.
# Jerusalem The head of the Israeli Armed Forces was under pressure last night to resign after reports that he had sold his share portfolio three hours after the Hezbollah kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers on July 12 that led to the war in Lebanon. Lieutenant-General Dan Halutz denied any impropriety. The daily newspaper Maariv said that he sold shares worth 120,000 shekels (£14,600). Share prices in Israel fell by about 12 per cent and now stand slightly below prewar levels. (Reuters)
Armed Jews this time around. With an attitude.
Yup, the most likely scenario is Jews killing Germans, after the Germans decline to stop Hezbollah from making their positions rocket launching sites.
No good deed goes unpunished.
You know, I don't have much- okay, ANY faith in the peacekeeping force, but I actually feel a little better knowing there will be Germans there. The collective guilt the German nation feels over the Holocaust would prevent them from doing things in Lebanon (things that other nations...ahem...France...would have no problem doing) that would hurt Israel.
Ah, but the more appropriate headline and story emphasis should have been:
"German Troops to Confront Nazis..... Hezbo-Nazis in Lebanon"
"For the first time in history German armed forces will do what should have been done in 1933 or earlier: confront and crush the illegal armed terror "militia" of depraved Nazi ideologues bent upon world domination and annihilation of the Jews."
THAT would have made for a more interesting angle on the story.... if only we could hope that any of the new, improved UNIFIL forces actually would face down and disarm Hezbollah........ big joke, I'm afraid.
The same goes for all racism: those who are not very racist should not have to be confronted with racism from a group to which they belong; and those who are still racist ought to have that same racism shoved in their faces.
And also for France; if they acknowledge that their country is no longer a great world power, as have the British, Americans would probably be kinder.
Once these people recognize reality, then they can move on.
arson suit.
Why dont they stay in their country and go door to door like the old days and clean up their own muslim terrorist problem.?
In 1945 we weren't allies with Japan either; things change.
“We have to do this, not in spite of the Holocaust but because of it,” Werner Sonne, a leading commentator, said on German state television. “If German troops guard Israel’s borders, they are they to protect Jewish lives. Frankly, there has never been a better reason to bring in soldiers in German uniform.”
This is the only positive thing I see in the whole ceasefire. The Germans finally have a chance to prove that after all these years 'They get it.'. I pray that they really do.
I'd hardly call participation in this farce a "good deed".
Maybe not... But they are likely to be the only part of Unifil remotely sympathetic to Israel. I personally approve of that at least.
It only stands to reason that German troops would be willing to square off against Israeli troops now that Germany has gone Communist.
I think Bush and Merkel put their heads together on this one. Bush can see that the troops lining up for participation in this UNIFIL force are more pro-Hezbollah in sympathy than pro-Israel. Merkel is very pro-Israel. She is anti-Hezbollah and terrorists, unlike her horrible predecessor Gerard Schroeder. Merkel and Bush get along well, and she, like Tony Blair, sees the dangers that terrorism brings. I'm delighted Germany will be coming in, as it will offset some of the other force members, and might actually fight Hezbollah, and protect Israel. Germany has a golden opportunity here to give back to the Jewish nation that which it once sought to destroy, the lives of the Jews. Plus they can effectively patrol by air the Syrian-Lebanon border and prevent re-arming of Hezbollah. I'd never trust the French or Turks to do that. So, bravo, Merkel, you go girl.
I am kinda focused on "they are they to protect Jewish lives". Maybe the Germans are really ready to face their past and prove that things are different now. Maybe I am naive.
The French are too arrogant to admit that they are a mediocre country with lots of stinky cheese and women with bad dye jobs.
The Europeans killed their Jews and now they are stuck with all these Islamofascists!
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