Tue, Oct 31, 2006
'Misunderstanding' Prompts High Level Talks Between
Countries
In light of Germany's relationship with Israel, where both
countries maintain extremely correct relations, it may seem
improbable to imagine, but the two nations are having what amounts
to a military dispute.
Last Tuesday, six Israeli F-16s buzzed the German Naval
reconnaissance vessel Alster off the coast of Lebanon. The German
Navy is patrolling the area, under the auspices of the United
Nations, to ward off weapons smuggling to the terrorist
organization Hizbollah from Iran and other hostile nations. It is
the first major deployment of a German military unit in such a
volatile region since WWII.
It is not clear if the Alster is part of the German UN force, or
floating independently as a spy vessel which could conceivably keep
track of Israeli Air Force activities.
The Germans claim one jet fired two shots in the air, and the
other fighters dropped anti-missile flares, though Israel denies
any shots were fired. It does admit it buzzed the ship on several
low-level passes. Israel also claims that because it was not
informed that the Alster would be in the area, it was forced to
investigate.
On Thursday, a German Navy helicopter was forced to divert when
several F-16s converged on it, according to the Deutche World. That
helicopter had the admiral leading the German Naval mission in
Lebanon on board.
Both countries are quick to say the incidents were merely
misunderstandings. German Defense Minister Franz Josef Jung played
down the incident. "One couldn't speak of a 'confrontation' with
Israeli soldiers," he said in an interview with the Frankfurter
Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert
also apologized for the misunderstanding.
It's fair to speculate the German Defense minister will have
lots to talk about when he meets his Israeli counterpart in
Jerusalem next week.
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