Posted on 08/06/2006 10:29:30 AM PDT by tessalu
The memory of the Holocaust is fuelling a debate in Germany over involvement in a Lebanon peace force, even before practical steps are taken to create one.
It is possible that a peace enforcer would have to fire at an Israeli German newspapers on Wednesday aired a number of arguments for and against sending German soldiers to the Middle East, with the "burden of history" looming large.
"History is the past, but the history of the Holocaust belongs to the German present," said the Frankfurter Rundschau.
No German soldier should, even theoretically, "be brought into a situation where he has to aim his weapon at an Israeli", it added.
The Suddeutsche Zeitung said it was "astonishing" that politicians were discussing the idea, while Austria's Der Standard said it was "unthinkable" that the grandchildren of Holocaust perpetrators might find themselves shooting at the grandchildren of victims.
Responsibility
The secretary general of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Stephan Kramer, added his voice to those against German deployment.
I think Germany should take part in a multinational force enforcing peace in south Lebanon, but let's secure the Lebanon/Syria border
Malte Lehming, Der Tagesspiegel "There are Holocaust survivors living in Israel. I don't think they would feel good about German soldiers in South Lebanon, and certainly not if they had to take a stand against an Israeli soldier," he said.
He added that he would still be opposed if the Israeli government agreed.
It is 12 years since Germany's post-war constitution was changed to allow the use of armed force in international disputes.
In that time they have taken part in peacekeeping operations in the Balkans, Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Sudan and DR Congo.
But the prospect of peace enforcement in Lebanon raises new complications.
For Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, history actually burdens Germany with a responsibility not to walk away, but to get involved.
"I think this is appropriate given the difficult shared history between Germany and Israel," he told German broadcaster ZDF on Sunday.
'Never again'
His Social Democratic Party, like Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union, is divided on the issue, while the three main opposition parties - the Greens, the Liberal FPD and the hard-left PDS - are against.
Germany has sent peacekeepers to the Balkans, Afghanistan and Africa A leading Christian Democrat in the European Parliament, Elmar Brok, is among those arguing that German involvement must be ruled out, on the grounds that Germans may be unable to put into effect the "robust mandate" he says the Lebanon force will need.
"It is impossible for a German soldier to use force against an Israeli soldier," says Mr Brok, head of the parliament's Foreign Affairs committee.
The opinion editor of Berlin's Der Tagesspiegel newspaper, Malte Lehming, agrees that this scenario would violate the main lesson of the last century: "Never again."
"I think Germany should take part in a multinational force enforcing peace in south Lebanon, but let's secure the Lebanon/Syria border where things like that are less likely to happen," he says.
"I think we can take that risk."
Casualties
Joerg Himmelreich of the German Marshall Fund argues that the nightmare scenario is not, in fact, at all likely.
The World Cup has shown how relaxed people feel about pride and their nation, without producing any kind of nationalist feelings
Elmar Brok German troops would be much more likely to clash with Hezbollah than with Israeli forces, he says.
But he warns that German participation in Lebanon would be a new step for Germany in a different way, as it would be the first time German troops had taken part in a mission with a high probability of casualties.
How long will it be before Germany can contemplate the possibility of German peace-enforcers confronting Israeli troops?
"Maybe 10 years, 15 years..." says Malte Lehming.
"The World Cup has shown how relaxed people feel about pride and their nation, without producing any kind of nationalist feelings," says Elmar Brok.
"But we remember the past and we will not forget our responsibility."
Stephan Kramer thinks German soldiers will never be able to approach the borders of Israel.
"Even if it's the great-great-grandchildren, I cannot imagine it," he says.
"Around the world, almost everywhere, but not when there is a chance of confrontation with an Israeli soldier."
If peacekeepers do their jobs there will be no reason for a confrontation with Iraelis.
France, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, the Danes all the Ol Europe countries. They can sell it domestically as "Protecting the Muslims from the Jews"
Yet they remain silent as all these terrorist groups attack Israel from all sides, and proclaim that they will not stop until Israel and the Jews are wiped from the face of the earth.
The outcry against the terrorists is muted or absent.
They only remember their "responsibility" when they use it as an excuse to do nothing.
If the UN sends a "peacekeeping force", do you honestly think that they will be there to protect Israel from Hezbullah? Methinks it will be the other way around.
What do you call troops from Germany, France, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands amd Denmark in Lebanon?
Answer: Christian Crusader Infidels!
Well, you and I wouldn’t, but I think we know who would. Think unknown IEDs, suicide bombers, kidnappings. EU leftist media, Liberals all asking, “What are we doing there?” “Jews tricked us.” “America started all this”……..
Securing the Lebanon/Syrian border sounds like a very good idea. Most of the political pressure that kept the Hezbollah armed came from Syria. The assasination of former PM Rafik Hariri, one of the finest politicians Lebanon had for years, was linked to Syria by UN investigator Mehlis, also a German. It is also commonly known that the unconstitutional third term of Lebanon's pro-Syrian President is a work of Syrian pressure. To make it short, most trouble of Lebanon seems to originate in Syria (with a good portion of the rest probably originating in Iran). Helping them to once again become the "Swiss of the Middle East" as they were formerly known is a project that I would 100% support .
Maybe, but the Germans have a good standing in Lebanon since Detlef Mehlis uncovered the ties of the Hariri assasination to Syria. Also, though Lebanon is on it's way to become a terrorist Muslim state, the direction it comes from indicates that there may be hope. Thirdly, who cares about what the Liberals say. Besides, if there was hope to play firetruck in the Israel conflict by rebuilding Lebanon, they would be the first to cheer. This conflict unnerves everyone.
I hope for the best. Detlef Mehlis deserves a Nobel, or more.
it's only muted or absent to those who have their ears on their behinds....
The mission of the Bundeswehr is to secure Germany and nothing else. Do we Germans have a benefit if we secure the border between Lebanon and Syria?
It makes sense to help Israel to survive with deliveries of weapons and material because of our historical responsibility. OK. It does not make any sense to mix into a conflict that is not ours. We are friends of the Israelis but we are not their allies. Simply not our party.
Do you think so ?
I thought Germany is not only defended in Hildesheim but also on the Hindukush...
When Schröder/Fisher started to reform the Army into something that is internationally deployable they might have thought of forthcoming 'assymetric' (oh what a wounderful buzzword) threads.
Maybe we cannot guarant that the world we are living is not turned upside down (e.g. by the chineese) if we do not contain the situation in ME.
i just read a study by standard and poors. They figure that if we contain the situation in the ME the reduction of US growth will be only moderate in 2007. If we have Iran boycotting the oil market for 6 or 7 month we will see recession by 3 percent in the US. A close of the street of hormus for the same period will sever the US growth even more. In that case even europe will be loosing economic feathers (although better suited to digest sharp inreases of the oil price).
Anyhow they state that if things combine or Iran is bringing the arabic nations after it the consequences might be even more 'unwanted'. China would win.
I am thinking - either your with us - or you're with the terrorists. That is so true. We didn't have a choice nor do we have.
*threats
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