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Germany fears the six-wheeled 16-ton Fuchs armored personnel carrier would be used by Israel for offensive purposes.
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| By Ellis Shuman December 8, 2002 |
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German Defense Minister Peter Struck said on Friday that his country could not spare any armored personnel carriers (APC) to give to Israel. The German minister was apparently assuming that Israel would use the vehicles for offensive purposes. President Moshe Katsav, due to visit Germany this week, said he was "very disappointed" by Germany's position and said he viewed the APCs as a "purely defensive weapon."
In a television interview on Friday, Struck said, "A number of our armored vehicles are currently deployed on foreign missions, so we can't spare any of this type. But there are other types of equipment which we could consider sending."
Struck said that Germany would honor its promise to supply Israel with two U.S.-built Patriot missile systems to help protect the country against a possible Iraqi missile attack.
According to media reports, Israel's request for armored personnel carriers led to a heated debate in German government circles. At first it was assumed that Israel was requesting the Fuchs type armored personnel carriers equipped to detect chemical and biological weapons, which would be needed in the event of an Iraqi missile attack. German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder initially indicated Germany's approval of this request, describing it as part of his country's moral and historical obligations towards Israel.
Schroeder was later accused of offering Israel the wrong type of armored carrier, whereas Israel was actually interested in a Fuchs model suitable for urban warfare. Senior IDF officers, including OC Land Forces Brigadier Yair Naveh, visited Germany two months ago and explained the need for heavy armor due to the Palestinian use of roadside bombs, Ha'aretz reported.
The German Greens party, junior coalition partners in Schroeder's government, expressed fears that the defensive Fuchs armored personnel carrier would be used for offensive purposes in Israeli military actions against the Palestinians. Their threats to bring down the government apparently led to Struck's official rejection of the Israeli request, media sources reported.
Katsav says Fuchs "purely defensive weapon"
Katsav, who will meet with Schroeder and German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer during his three-day official visit to Germany beginning today, described the Fuchs armored personnel carrier as a "purely defensive weapon." In an interview with Der Spiegel, Katsav said Israel's request dealt with defending its citizens in the fight against terror. Israel "doesn't want to attack anyone or even destroy the Palestinian autonomy" with the Fuchs vehicle, he said.
Katsav refused to rule out the IDF's use of the Fuchs vehicle in Palestinian-controlled territories. "When we receive information that an attack on Tel Aviv is being planned in the Palestinian town of Jenin, should we just stand at the border and wait till the assassins are in the city and kill Jewish children?" he asked.
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