Introduction
Germany and Israel hold close diplomatic and economic ties, with Germany being one of Israel’s most important military and security partners in the EU.
Israel is one of the five most important military exporters for Germany[1]Stockholm International Peace Research Institute as well as Germany’s second most important trade partner in the Middle East (after Saudi Arabia).[2]Ministry of Economy Israel : Economic Review 2014 Germany. Israel has provided Germany with anti-tank missiles, drones, military radars and more.
Between 2009 and 2018, 28% of Israel’s arms imports came from Germany – mostly submarines and ground-to-air rocket systems.[3]Stockholm International Peace Research Institute Germany issued licenses for arms sales to Israel worth €1.6 billion between 2013 and 2017.
In 2023, around 30% of Israel’s military equipment purchases came from Germany, totaling $326.5m.[4]ICJ rules it will not halt German arms to Israel
Israel and Germany established advanced cooperation around cyber security and Germany used Israeli spyware and surveillance technologies.
Israel – Germany Relations
Between 2016-2018, Germany was Israel’s most important economic partner in the European Union (fourth worldwide)[5]Tel Aviv Deutsche Botschaft : Deutsch-israelische Beziehungen, with bilateral trade worth $7.19 billion (2018).[6]Federal Foreign Office : Germany and Israel: Bilateral relations. The main Israeli export to Germany (worth around $1.52 billion in 2016) is of chemical, electro-technological, mechanical and optical products.[7]Tel Aviv Deutsche Botschaft : Deutsch-israelische Beziehungen
In September 2022, Israel and Germany held first-ever Strategic Dialogue in Jerusalem, Israel. The meeting was presided over by the national security advisors and directors-general of the foreign ministries of Germany and Israel. Also taking part were the director-general of the Israeli Ministry of Defense, the Director of the Mossad, the Director of the Israeli Security Agency (Shin Bet), and their German counterparts.[8]Israel, Germany hold first-ever Strategic Dialogue in Jerusalem
At the same time, the Director General of Israel’s Ministry of Defense, Major General (ret.) Amir Eshel, met with the State Secretary of the German Federal Ministry of Defense, Mr. Benedikt Zimmer, as part of the intensifying military relations between the defense ministries of the two countries. Head of the Directorate of Defense Research & Development (DDR&D) at the IMOD, Brigadier General (res.) Dr. Daniel Gold, also participated in the meeting, where future collaborations in the fields of R&D were discussed.[9]Israel, Germany hold first-ever Strategic Dialogue in Jerusalem
Military Relations
1984 – 2014: 254 German soldiers and officers have participated in different training and education programs of the Israeli Army.[10]BpB : Israels Sicherheit als deutsche Staatsräson/
2014: A report by the Israeli Trade Office in Germany shows that the military arms company Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) was the biggest Israeli exporter to Germany.[11]Ministry of Economy Israel : Economic Review 2014 Germany
2018: Israel signs a trade-deal of around €1 billion for a leasing contract of five Heron-TP drones, with the intention of using them in Afghanistan. The deal included the training of German drone-operators in Israel by the Israeli military. The deal was widely criticized by the German public.
December 2020: The German Parliament decides to deny the armament of the Heron TP drones.[12]Why Germany’s Soldiers Are Denied Armed Drones
December 2020: IAI signs a joint strategic cooperation agreement with the German company Hensoldt. The two companies would jointly manufacture radar systems for ballistic missile defense and participate in air and space surveillance projects. They would produce a long-range radar for use on the F124 Frigates of the German Navy.[13]Israel Aerospace Industries and HENSOLDT offer Radar Systems against ballistic Missiles to Germany
March 2021: Germany selects Elbit Systems to provide the German Federal Police with “XACT nv33” night vision goggles.[14]Germany selects Israel’s Elbit Systems to provide police with night vision systems
June 2021: Germany’s defense procurement agency announces that it has acquired 69 “ELM-2180 Watchguard” mobile ground surveillance radars made by Israel Aerospace Industries subsidiary ELTA for $36m through the German company ESG. Training courses, training materials and an unspecified initial amount of spare parts are also part of the agreement.[15]ELTA to supply ground surveillance radar systems to German Army
2022: The Defense Committee of the Bundestag approves the purchase of 140 armed Heron TP drones. The Ministry of Defense plans to use 60 of them for training and the other 80 for “operational use,” according to the project adopted by the commission. The total amount of the order is $166 million. The drones should be delivered within two years.[16]Germany acquires 140 Israeli-made armed drones
June 2022: Elbit Systems signs a MoU with the German company Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) to intensify their strategic cooperation and develop rocket artillery systems in Europe.[17]KMW and Elbit intensify rocket artillery cooperation
November 2023: German and Israeli Ministries of Defense sign Israel’s largest ever defense contract worth €3.6 billion, in which the Arrow 3 anti-missile defense system is sold to Germany. The system is expected to be delivered by the end of 2025. [18]Seth J. Frantzman, Israel finalizes Arrow 3 deal with Germany, aims for late 2025 delivery, 27.11.23
German Arms Fairs with Israeli participation[19]Omega research foundation : Arms Fairs Database
- European Police Congress – NSO Group participates in 2020.
- GPEC (General Police Equipment Exhibition and Conference) – 7 Israeli companies participate in 2018, 11 in 2020.
- ILA Berlin Airshow – 11 Israeli companies participate in 2018 (e.g. IAI, Elbit, Rafael).
- IWA Outdoor Classics – at least two Israeli companies participated in 2019.
Joint Military Drills
April 2019, Germany – “Allied Spirit“: Israeli soldiers train with the Bundeswehr in a so called “full force exercise”.[20]Bedrohung bei Tag und Nacht: Allied Spirit X – Bundeswehr
2019, Israel – “Blue Flag“: – German Air Force participates in a joint exercise with six Eurofighter combat aircrafts.[21]Israel completes multinational fighter exercise Blue Flag 2019
2020, Germany – Air Force Training: The Israeli Air Force and the German Luftwaffe conduct a joint training, in which a total of 180 Israeli personnel is involved . Planes include F-16 fighter jets, Gulfstreams surveillance planes and Boeing 707 tanker jets.[22]Luftwaffe, Israeli Air Force conduct first joint exercise in Germany/
2020, Germany – “MLCD20“: The German Armed Forces plan a joint cyber maneuver with the Israeli military, entitled “Multi-Lateral Cyber Defense Exercise 20” (MLCD20), with units from Austria and Switzerland also taking part.[23]New German military exercises with Israel
2021, Israel (Palmachim military base) – “Blue Guardian“: Soldiers from Germany, USA, UK, France and Italy train with the Israeli Air Force in the use of “live-fire munitions” with drones for 10 days. According to the Israeli military, this is first international drone-focused military exercise ever held.[24]Lilach Shoval, In first, IAF hosts international drone exercise, jns, 14.7.2021
2021, Israel – “Blue Flag”: Germany, France, Greece, India, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States all send fighter aircraft and personnel to Israel to participate in the exercise.[25]Blue Flag exercise has Israel’s enemies seeing red
Cybersecurity Relations
2016: In addition to a visit by Israeli PM Netanyahu and other ministers, a joint declaration of intent on cooperation in the field of nanotechnology and cyber-security is signed between the Director General of the Israeli ministry of Economy and Germany’s Parliamentary State Secretary and the Federal Minister of Education and Research.[26]Israel-German cooperation will include joint programs to support small and medium-sized companies active in the field of nanotechnology, as well as cooperation between research institutes from both … Continue reading
2019: Data compiled by Start-Up Nation Central (SNC) shows a significant German presence in the Israeli technology industry.[27]Germans flock to Israel seeking technology
2017: Israeli company Checkmarx is selected to run an Israeli chapter of the German Cyber Security Council Germany (CSCG). Later in the year, CSCG signs a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Israel Advanced Technology Industries (IATI).[28]Cybersecurity Is Bringing Germany and Israel Closer
2018: Israeli facial recognition company Oosto (formerly Anyvision) takes part in a pilot project of testing facial recognition technologies at a train station in Berlin to monitor and surveil passers-by.[29]Surveillance laboratory Südkreuz
2018: Netzpolitik.org reports on German State Police units’ use of Cellebrite’s phone data extraction systems.[30]Mit diesen sieben Programmen liest die Polizei Smartphone-Daten aus
2019: German federal authorities buy the Pegasus spyware from NSO Group. Eventually, the BKA federal police uses the spyware; it remains unclear whether German intelligence agencies also use it.[31]Germany admits police used spyware from NSO Group in ‘small number of cases’
2020: German pharma giant Bayer announces the set up of a cybersecurity development center in Israel, as part of the German multinational global cybersecurity operations. The new center would be one of Bayer’s largest internal cyber units.[32]Pharma giant Bayer to set up cybersecurity center in Israel
Use of Israeli Arms
Litening: Used by the German Air Force on the Panavia Tornado and Eurofighter Typhoon aircrafts
- 2007: A pair of German Tornado aircraft fly reconnaissance missions over an anti-globalization demonstration during the G8 summit in Heiligendamm.[33]German war jets against anti-G8 protesters
- 2007-2010: 6 Tornado jets are used for aerial photographs and reconnaissance in Afghanistan [34]Germany to Withdraw Tornado Jets from Afghanistan
- 2014: Eurofighter Typhoon aircrafts are based in Amari Air Base in Estonia as part of NATO Baltic Air Policing mission. During the mission, the Eurofighters scramble and intercept seven Russian Air Force aircraft over the Baltic Sea.[35]German Typhoons have intercepted 7 Russian Air Force combat planes over the Baltic Sea today
Spike Missiles: Used by German Special Forces Command on “Puma” armored infantry fighting vehicles.[36]Puma AIFV Tracked Armoured Infantry Fighting Vehicle
A-4M Skyhawk-2 aircraft: Used by German Air Force as aircraft target for training in Wittmund, Germany.[37]Upgraded A-4Ns destined for Germany
Heron drone: Heron-1 used by German Military in Afghanistan and Mali.[38]German Bundeswehr renews Service Contracts for Heron 1 systems in Afghanistan and Mali
RecceLite aircraft recce system: Used by the German Air Force on Tornado Panavia Aircraft. [39]Business Insider – photos of German Air Force Tornados in a refueling exercise
BriefCam Video Analysis: In use by Hamburg Police.[40]BriefCam Presentation : Solution Overview – BriefCam at Work in Safe Cities
Pegasus (NSO Group): Used by BKA Federal Police on several occasions.[41]Germany admits police used spyware from NSO Group
UFED (Cellebrite): German state police uses Cellebrite’s technology for crime investigation and customs service investigations.[42]Mit diesen sieben Programmen liest die Polizei Smartphone-Daten aus Bavarian crime police unit purchased UFED from Cellebrite in 2018.[43]TED Europa Contract Award Notice – Bavaria In 2017, Cellebrite was operated in a test-phase by the German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees.[44]Bundestag : Request of Information IT usage in Bundesamt for Migration and Refugees.
The following German authorities purchased UFED from Cellebrite: Munich State Police (2015)[45]TED Europa Contract Award Notice – Munich 2015 (2018)[46]TED Europa Contract Award Notice – Munich 2018, Freiburg Customs Service (2016)[47]TED Europa Contract Award Notice – Freiburg, Stuttgart Police (2019)[48]TED Europa Contract Award Notice – Stuttgart 2019(2020)[49]TED Europa Contract Award Notice – Stuttgart 2020 (2021)[50]TED Europa Contract Award Notice – Stuttgart 2021 (2022)[51]TED Europa Contract Award Notice – Stuttgart 2022, Lower Saxony State Police (2019)[52]TED Europa Contract Award Notice – Lower Saxony 2019, Financial administration of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia (2020)[53]TED Europa Contract Award Notice – NRW 2020, Leipzig Police (2020)[54]TED Europa Contract Award Notice – Leipzig 2020
Human Rights Violations
A majority of German federal states introduced far-reaching new police powers, including extensive surveillance measures such as installing spyware to monitor mobile phones and computers or to tap into ongoing encrypted communication.
Civil society organization reported discriminatory identity checks by police on members of ethnic and religious minorities.
After the anti-globalization protests during the G20 summit in 2017 in Hamburg, 168 preliminary proceedings were initiated against police officers for ill-treatment. By June 2019 there were zero indictments.
In 2019, many states expanded the power to use video surveillance in public places. Two states included the use of facial recognition in specific situations, such as identifying behavioral patterns used for committing crimes.
In regard to the abuse of migrants, refugees and stateless persons, authorities in various states etainded asylum seekers whose applications were rejected pending their deportation for up to 18 months . German authorities also deport rejected asylum seekers without advance notification. In March 2018, German authorities were holding 82 rejected asylum seekers pending deportation against the law. German authorities deport asylum seekers to Afghanistan, against the “non-refoulment” principle.[55]GERMANY 2018 HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT
Activism & court cases
March 2024: Nicaragua files a case against Germany with the International Court of Justice, demanding that the court issues emergency orders for Germany to halt arms sales to Israel.
April 2024: The ICJ rules 15:1 against issuing the emergency orders.[56]ICJ rules it will not halt German arms to Israel
June 7, 2024: In a joint operation by Israeli activists, the Stop Arming Israel coalition in Germany and other groups, activists gather at the German embassy in Tel Aviv, demanding that Germany halts arms sales to Israel and thus stops arming Israel with weapons that it uses in the genocide in Gaza. The activists also sent a letter to the German Ambassador to Israel with the same request. Protesters were removed by the police, and at least 5 were detained.[57]Protesters in Tel Aviv urge Germany to stop sending arms to Israel