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Source: https://www.israelhayom.com/opinions/germany-is-our-best-ally-in-europe/
Germany Is Israel's Best Ally in Europe
(Israel Hayom) Amb. Freddy Eytan - German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's trip to Jerusalem on Dec. 7 is significant given the Jewish state's isolation on the international stage, particularly in Europe. Unlike France's Emmanuel Macron, who recognizes a state of Palestine, boycotts Israel, and refuses to supply us with arms, Merz is strengthening military ties with the Jewish state. He arrived just after the German military had acquired the Israeli Arrow 3 anti-missile defense system to bolster its own air security. Who would have imagined that Holocaust survivors would one day supply weapons to Germany to protect it from the Russian threat? Before the Six-Day War in 1967, Israel also provided Uzi submachine guns and artillery shells to Germany, and over the years, drones as well. Conversely, Germany regularly delivers submarines to Israel. Today, German-Israeli relations are excellent. Germany is our closest ally and our most important trading partner after the U.S. Unlike in other European countries, boycotts against Israel have not gained traction in Berlin. Campuses warmly welcomed Israeli professors, researchers, and students. More than 7,000 young Germans visit the Jewish state each year. While differences have existed regarding the peace process with the Palestinians and the future of Gaza, the conversations are conducted respectfully and amicably, and not through moralizing lectures as is the practice of French leaders. In the fight against Islamist terrorism and the presence of Iranian terrorists in Europe, Germany collaborates closely with Israeli intelligence services; valuable information provided by the Mossad has thwarted dozens of attacks on European soil. The writer, a researcher at the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, is a former Foreign Ministry senior adviser who was Israel's first ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Mauritania.