July 4, 2023

Germany shows interest in buying more Israeli defence systems

By Arie Egozi

Germany has expressed its interest in acquiring additional defence systems from Israel following the signing of a contract to purchase the Israel-made Arrow 3 ballistic missile interceptor. The Director General of the Israel Ministry of Defence, Major General (Res.) Eyal Zamir, met with Benedikt Zimmer, the State Secretary of the German Federal Ministry of Defence, in Berlin on Monday.

During the meeting, the Director General updated his colleague on the IDF operation targeting terror hotspots in the city of Jenin. The leaders discussed strengthening defence relations between the two countries’ defence ministries and advanced the agreement regarding the sale of the Arrow 3 air and missile defence system to Germany. Maj. Gen. (Res.) Zamir stated that, in accordance with the directive of Minister of Defence Yoav Gallant, the Israel Ministry of Defence is working towards finalizing the process soon. Once the sale receives approval from the American government, the production phase will commence.

Director General Zamir expressed gratitude to the State Secretary of the German Federal Ministry of Defence and conveyed the defence establishment’s deep appreciation for Mr. Zimmer’s commitment and personal dedication to the security of the State of Israel and the overall stability of the region. In recent years, Israel has become a major customer for German naval platforms, including the Dolphin submarines and the SAAR 6 missile corvettes.