[News] Genocide's collaborators, from Cairo to Berlin

[Anti-Imperialist News]

 Genocide's collaborators, from Cairo to Berlin

A series of recent incidents have brought into focus two of Israel's most
rock-solid allies: Egypt, the first Arab 'normalizer' and now Tel Aviv's
most reliable regional trading partner, and Germany, the nation that
defined 'genocide' for the 20th century.

Mohamad Hasan Sweidan <https://thecradle.co/authors/mohamad-hasan-sweidan>

NOV 8, 2024 -
https://thecradle.co/articles/genocides-collaborators-from-cairo-to-berlin
Photo Credit: The Cradle

In 1973, the Egyptian and Syrian armed forces launched a surprise attack on
Israel, which would become known as the “October War.” In a speech
delivered by former Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser to Arab trade
unionists On 26 May 1967
<https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/statement-by-president-nasser-to-arab-trade-unionists-may-1967>,
Abdel Nasser said: “The battle with Israel will be general, and our primary
goal will be to destroy Israel.”

More than five decades after Egypt launched its war and pledged to destroy
the occupation state, reports have emerged that Cairo is now providing
economic and logistical support to Israel during its war on Lebanon and
Gaza.

*Egyptian ports: a logistics platform serving Israel*

According to the ship tracking website
<https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/german-ship-carrying-explosives-israel-docks-egypts-alexandria>
Marine Traffic and the financial data company LSEG Data & Analytics, the
German ship MV Kathrin docked in Alexandria Port on 28 October. Open source
naval data and human rights groups claim the vessel reportedly bore
explosive materials destined for the Israeli military and was unloaded at
an Egyptian military dock after being denied docking rights by several
countries.

The Alexandria Port website, which monitors ship movement and maritime
navigation reports that the Egyptian Maritime Consultative Office (EMCO),
took charge of receiving the ship and "unloading” its “military” cargo.
Further information then emerged that the goods were transported on the
same day from the port of Alexandria to Israel's Mediterranean port of
Ashdod.

The MV Katherine vessel reportedly carries eight shipping containers
containing 150,000 kilograms of RDX explosives for Israeli Military
Industries, which is the ammunition production arm of Elbit Systems,
Israel's largest military manufacturer. In September, Portugal's Foreign
Minister Paulo Rangel
<https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/10/israel-opt-slovenia-montenegro-and-portugal-must-not-assist-the-mv-kathrins-delivery-of-explosives-to-israel/>
said
he received information from the shipowner that half of the cargo was
dual-use items destined for an Israeli arms company.

What is interesting is that the vessel had been prevented from docking in
Namibia, Slovenia, Malta, and Montenegro due to these countries’ concern
that Tel Aviv would utilize the explosive materials to commit further
massacres against civilians.

Egypt then stepped in to solve MV Kathrin’s dilemma by offering a place to
dock and unload its cargo. In a lengthy report published on Amnesty
International
<https://arabic.cnn.com/middle-east/article/2024/11/01/egypt-weapons-ship-docks-in-alexandria-in-rout-to-israel-details-and-army-response-social-reactions>'s
official
website, the human rights group writes:

“The Egyptian government allowed the German-flagged ship ‘MV Kathrin’,
which is believed to be carrying explosives bound for Israel, to dock and
unload in the port of Alexandria despite the risk that this shipment may
contribute to the commission of war crimes in Gaza."

It must be noted here that Alexandria's reception of the ship came after a
 statement
<https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/10/israel-opt-slovenia-montenegro-and-portugal-must-not-assist-the-mv-kathrins-delivery-of-explosives-to-israel/>
by
Amnesty's Slovenia Chief Natasha Bussell: “The deadly cargo believed to
have been on board the ship MV Kathrin must not reach Israel, because there
is a clear risk that such a cargo could contribute to the commission of war
crimes against Palestinian civilians.”

To these charges, Egypt's military spokesman responded in a statement
<https://www.facebook.com/EgyArmySpox/posts/pfbid02rC8S7CPHRmQFFjxqvKvBUEYKc3fCupr66Ump34Td2h8Y2hhWArCVcuE7cDzTUGePl?__cft__%5b0%5d=AZULd4k8QGKt7L86vCEuf2Oj37SDcLAUd6owURijEjHZm8u-O3j80NUb1f1fyu3IDEFyTPS3pIdX8q3hxcbyB_9lHAzNdmCtXC1OuNfF4B4LP2BB52JTeVab9P4J2vkNzG-U0rcxSR8enUh9IgZ_m36QFfyOmbPfGeGLc_ENsI2LpueVVb-_gnLivtQXhVmP3bs&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R>
published
on his Facebook page:

“The Egyptian Armed Forces categorically denies what has been circulated on
social media and suspicious accounts and what is being promoted regarding
assistance to Israel in its military operations in general and in detail...
and stresses that there is no form of cooperation with Israel.”

Despite the denial, there is plenty of evidence that Alexandria received
the ship, from tracking shipping locations and global data companies to
reports from several parties and governments. It must be noted that, during
Tel Aviv's 13 months of brutal military assault on Gaza, five Egyptian
ports were transformed into key crossing hubs for Israeli exports and import
<https://thecradle.co/articles/axis-of-normalization-the-arabs-and-turks-who-sustain-israels-wartime-economy>s.
Allowing the MV Kathrin to dock at one of these Egyptian ports is simply a
continuation of the role assumed by Cairo to serve Israel's war interests.

Israeli foreign trade data indicate
<https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20241106-israel-continues-to-increase-trade-with-arab-and-muslim-world/>s
that during the first nine months of this year, the occupation state’s
trade with five Arab countries grew most significantly: the UAE, Egypt,
Jordan, Morocco, and Bahrain. Per these figures, the value of Israeli trade
with Bahrain increased tenfold, Morocco by 53 percent, Egypt by 52 percent,
and the UAE by four percent. Overall trade with Jordan decreased slightly
by one percent due to a decrease in Jordanian imports from Israel, but is
mitigated by a massive 45 percent increase in Israeli exports to Jordan.
The value of the total Israeli trade with the five Arab countries rose to
$3.4 billion, which reflects a growth of 12 percent.

Also noteworthy is the significant discrepancy in trade figures released by
Israel and by Arab countries. The value of trades declared by Egypt was
much higher than by Israeli authorities, which suggests that Cairo is
fundamentally unbothered about declaring the extent of its growing trade
relations with Israel, despite the occupation state's deadly attacks on
Gaza, Lebanon, the occupied West Bank, Syria, Yemen, and elsewhere in the
region.

Egypt's foreign trade data reveals that from the beginning of this year up
until July, Cairo's trade with Israel reached a total of $1.883 billion,
with $155 million in exports and $1.728 billion in imports. Israel, on the
other hand, claims that the trade between both countries only reached a
total of $431 million, entailing a $1.452 billion difference. According to
their data, exports amounted to $242 million, while imports amounted to
$189 million.

While Egypt's role in assisting the Israelis during wartime is only just
crystallizing, Cairo has come under massive fire on Arab social media over
a video showing the passage of the Israeli warship Sa’ar 5 in the Suez
Canal – raising the Egyptian and Israeli flags while the Egyptian Navy
provides protection for the Israeli military vessel.

Egypt's Suez Canal Authority (SCA) responded to the backlash by claiming
that all vessels – commercial or military – have the right to transit
through the canal, adding that it is a regulation for the Egyptian flag to
be raised on all vessels passing through the waterway.

*What about Germany?*

The MV Kathrin ship was flying the flag of Germany, that is, the flag of
the foremost European supplier of weapons and international support to
Israel. Between August and October
<https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2024/10/24/german-arms-exports-to-israel-increase-despite-export-ban-rumours>,
the German government agreed to export 94 million euros of weapons to Tel
Aviv. Interestingly, Berlin only exported 14 million euros of arms to
Israel in the first eight months of 2024, which suggests that the enormous
spike in weapons transfers is largely linked to Israel's military
escalation against Lebanon.

The German–Israeli links in the Lebanese military theater continue. After
the occupation special forces carried out a landing operation in the
northern Lebanese town of Batroun to kidnap a Lebanese seaman, Imad Amhaz,
reports emerged that German naval forces provided the necessary support to
the unlawful Israeli mission. According to these reports, Israel’s success
in crossing Lebanese territorial waters required either willful
coordination or deliberate neglect by the German Navy operating within UN
peacekeeping forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL). The UNIFIL Maritime Task Force
(MTF) – under the command of Germany – was delegated by UN Security Council
Resolution 1701 with the task of assisting Lebanon to protect its sea lanes
and territorial waters.

The backdrop to this story is, of course, Berlin's openly defiant
political, media, and diplomatic support of Israel – despite Tel Aviv's
gross violations of international laws and conventions – and the
unprecedented scrutiny by the world's highest courts to Israel's genocide
in Gaza and untenable occupation of Palestinian territories. Today, Berlin
is no longer merely a party supporting the occupation state, but has become
a partner in ensuring Israel succeeds in achieving its war goals.

According to *Al Akhbar* newspaper
<https://al-akhbar.com/Politics/386936>, German
intelligence has revived its information-gathering activities in Beirut,
and its International Emergency Forces team is making additional efforts
under the pretext of securing the maritime area.

The German forces use their radars in Lebanon not to monitor Israeli
violations, prevent them, or even warn about them, but rather to provide
Tel Aviv with early warning data regarding Hezbollah’s rockets and drones –
especially drones that Israel is facing difficulties in tracking and
downing.

It is arguable that the most serious incident took place on 17 October,
when a German ship downed a Hezbollah drone heading to Israel.

Recently, many reports suggest that Hezbollah took the decision to halt all
contact with Germany and reject any of its future roles in the UNIFIL.
UNIFIL’s mandate was originally to monitor Israeli violations of Lebanon’s
sovereignty – land, sea, and air. However, recent incidents – particularly
involving German forces – have raised concerns in Lebanon, especially among
resistance factions. The UNIFIL's role in restraining Israeli aggression is
now in question, as its actions have shown, on multiple occasions, that it
is rather enabling Israel's violence on Lebanon.
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