Stop Bundeswehr training on armed drones in Israel!
The Bundeswehr intends to begin the training of pilots and payload operators in Israel. This training is to take place in the framework of an agreement with the government in Jerusalem on the use of the infrastructure at the Tel Nof airbase. Apparently, the combat drones stationed at the airbase would display the German emblem when flying there, and possibly over territories under Israeli occupation.
“The Defence Ministry has emphasised several times that the intergovernmental treaty is not binding under international law. The Bundeswehr’s temporary village there is not to be given any official status. Every parliamentarian visit to the troops is thus wholly dependent on the discretion of the government. Three weeks ago, we saw what this means: the visit to Tel Nof planned by Tobias Pflüger and myself, as Members of the Bundestag, which we had registered with the authorities in advance, was cancelled at short notice because the airbase was needed for air strikes against Gaza. In Incirlik in Turkey, the restrictions on visiting rights for Members of the German Bundestag led to the withdrawal of the Bundeswehr. We are now calling for consequences for Israel, too.
According to the Federal Ministry of Defence, procedures for the stationing there are currently being drafted. We insist that these procedures are presented to the Bundestag for its consent."