Should German Soldiers Protect Israel?

There is a fascinating story in the Jerusalem Post about the possibility of German soldiers defending Israel from Hezbollah attacks as part of a NATO force. Israel has recently signaled its openness to a NATO defense force, and Germany is obviously a leading member of NATO.

Would it be a good idea to have German soldiers defending Israel? The German author of the article in the Post thinks it is:

The moment of truth is approaching fast, and so fundamental questions need to be answered.

Is it in the German interest to send troops? Yes, it is. First, the moral aspect: not despite the Holocaust, but because of the Holocaust. If German troops guard Israel’s northern border, they are there to protect Jewish lives against the rocket attacks of Hizbullah.

There has never been a better reason for soldiers in German uniform.

NEXT the political aspect. The Middle East conflict dominates the struggle between radical Islam and the West. Without a solution to this conflict there will be no progress on other fronts, including Iraq and Iran.

Germany enjoys trust in both camps. Helping to bring more stability to the region as part of a peace force is certainly in the German interest – much more so than maintaining huge German troop contingents from Afghanistan to the Congo, where German soldiers have just arrived.

The Bundeswehr, with its limited manpower and financial resources, is already overstretched. But a mission in the Middle East must have priority.

GERMANY is aspiring to a larger role in world, and the Federal government has not given up its dream of a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.

Participitation in a Middle East peace effort would probably be the most ambitious, most dangerous mission for the Bundeswehr so far.

But if Germany is serious about showing the world that it wants to shoulder more responsibility, this is the chance to do it.

The reaction from Israelis, not suprisingly, is decidedly less enthusiastic:

The possibility of German troops guarding Israelis quickly revived memories of the Holocaust.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has called for a strong European buffer force rather than the UN, which has proved useless against Hezbollah.

Germany has suggested it might be willing to contribute soldiers to such a peacekeeping operation.

Karen Tsafrir, a wedding planner for Live Events Israel, said she was shocked by the suggestion.

“That’s really uncanny; that’s so odd. I’m not sure that I like that. Is it their guilt?” she asked.

And her 17-year-old son, Tal, who has visited Nazi death camps in Poland, was even more opposed.

“The idea is outrageous,” he said.

Yair Amichai, a psychologist at Bar-Ilan University whose parents were born in Germany, was skeptical of having German troops protecting the Jewish state.

“Emotionally, it’s very difficult to accept the idea of having a German army on the borders of Israel because Germany has a very hypocritical policy. They say they care about the Jewish state and feel a special responsibility, but they are heavily involved with deep financial interests in Iran and Syria and it doesn’t put them in a good position to be objective,” he said.

I certainly understand these reactions, especially the one that mentions Germany’s relationship with Iran and Syria. I doubt, though, that Germany is the only NATO country with such financial ties. And ultimately, I think the sight of German soldiers risking their lives to protect Israel will do more to discredit anti-Semitism in Germany and Eastern Europe than countless memorials to the Holocaust ever have or will.

Readers?