SASSNITZ, Germany – Israeli fighters land in Germany for the first time on Monday, in view of the strong ties between the two countries more than 75 years after the end of the Nazi Holocaust, and as the German military wrestles with signs of far rise -right sentiment in his ranks.
In addition to symbolism, the cooperation is an opportunity for Germany’s obsolete military, which is considered a critical part of NATO, to learn from Israel’s high-profile fighter pilots. For the Israeli army, it is an opportunity to learn about NATO techniques and train in new airspace, and expand the ability to conduct operations on various types of terrain.
“After the crime against the man who was the Shoah, it is a moving sign of our friendship today that we are flying side by side with the Israeli Air Force for the first time in our history,” Lt. Generation Ingo Gerhartz, the head of Germany’s Air Force, said in a statement, using the Hebrew word that refers to the Holocaust.
German pilots have traveled to Israel twice in recent years for joint maneuvers, but this is the first time that Israelis have participated in such exercises on German soil and over German airspace. The first of six Israeli air force F-16 fighter jets landed on Monday at the Nörvenich air base in western Germany, where they will hold joint training exercises over the next two weeks.
The historic significance was highlighted by Major General Amikam Norkin, the commander of the Israeli Air Force, who noted that for many of his fighters, past links to Germany were personal – and tragic.
“Many IAF fighters are grandchildren of Holocaust survivors, and in the 1960s and 1970s, half of IAF pilots were Holocaust survivors themselves – and yet we believe that this is the right thing to do, “he said at a ceremony last week.
Before the military maneuvers begin, a delegation will visit the memorial in the Dachau concentration camp to lay a wreath in honor of Holocaust victims and the hundreds of thousands of others who died at the hands of Nazi violence. A joint formation will also fly over the Fürstenfeldbruck air base near Munich in honor of the 11 Israeli athletes who were taken hostage and killed by Palestinian terrorists at the 1972 Olympic Games.
“This connection with the German Air Force is more than just tactics that allow us to learn and fly to places we do not yet know,” General Norkin said at the ceremony. “In a way, this connection serves as a bridge for the state of Israel.”
General Gerhartz of the German Air Force thanks General Norkin “and all his pilots for their confidence and emotional attachment.”
That confidence is being raised at a delicate time for the German army, with growing indications that extremism is affecting its ranks. While all members take an oath to pledge to endorse the democratic ideals enshrined in the country’s Constitution, officials last year counted 600 copies of extremism in the ranks, mostly from the far right and most in the army.
Last month, the German defense minister disbanded one of the companies’ most elite, highly-charged unit of the country’s special forces over concerns that it was infiltrated by right-wing extremism.
The joint exercises – with an Israeli fleet including six F-16 fighter jets, two Gulfstream G-55 command aircraft and two Boeing 707 air-to-air tankers, along with personnel and mechanics – also come as Germany works to increase its military strengthen.
The country is under pressure to modernize its armed forces as Europe envisages stronger cooperation among its partners. The United States under President Trump has repeatedly targeted Berlin for failing to meet its NATO obligations to spend 2 percent of its gross domestic product on the military.
About a decade after the German military scrapped the concept in favor of a more professional force, its air force struggled to maintain its flight capability, as it replaced the Cold War tornado fighter with newer aircraft – including the European one. -made Eurofighter aircraft, which the German pilots will use for the joint training.
Against both equipment and personnel problems, the country’s military has in recent years recruited self-reported citizens from other European Union countries to compensate for a shortage of skilled labor.
The latest joint exercises with the Israelis will include several flying maneuvers near the German border with Denmark, including tanks for midair tanks and ridiculous air. Next week, they will be expanded to include Hungarian aircraft as part of regular NATO exercises, the German air force said.
Melissa Eddy told from Sassnitz, Germany, and Christopher F. Schuetze from Berlin. Isabel Kershner contributed report from Jerusalem.
