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<div class="gmail-inner-article-top"><h1 class="gmail-">Genocide's collaborators, from Cairo to Berlin</h1><p class="gmail-">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.</p><div class="gmail-another-name"><p><a href="https://thecradle.co/authors/mohamad-hasan-sweidan" style="color:rgb(164,4,4)">Mohamad Hasan Sweidan</a></p></div><div class="gmail-another-name" style="margin-top:16px"><p><span>NOV 8, 2024</span> -<font size="1"> <a href="https://thecradle.co/articles/genocides-collaborators-from-cairo-to-berlin">https://thecradle.co/articles/genocides-collaborators-from-cairo-to-berlin</a></font></p></div></div><div class="gmail-inner-article-img"><img src="http://thecradle-main.oss-eu-central-1.aliyuncs.com/public/articles/9406f48e-9df8-11ef-be64-00163e02c055.webp" alt="" width="441" height="209" style="margin-right: 0px;"><span>Photo Credit: The Cradle</span></div><div class="gmail-inner-article-content"><div class="gmail-row"><div class="gmail-col-md-8 gmail-col-sm-7"><div class="gmail-article-content"><span><p>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<a href="https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/statement-by-president-nasser-to-arab-trade-unionists-may-1967"> On 26 May 1967</a>, Abdel Nasser said: “The battle with Israel will be general, and our primary goal will be to destroy Israel.” </p><p>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.</p><p><strong>Egyptian ports: a logistics platform serving Israel</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/german-ship-carrying-explosives-israel-docks-egypts-alexandria">According to the ship tracking website</a>
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. </p><p>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.</p><p>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,<a href="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/"> Portugal's Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel</a> said he received information from the shipowner that half of the cargo was dual-use items destined for an Israeli arms company.</p><p>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. </p><p>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<a href="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"> Amnesty International</a>'s official website, the human rights group writes: </p><blockquote><p style="margin-left:30pt">“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."</p></blockquote><p>It must be noted here that Alexandria's reception of the ship came after a<a href="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/"> statement</a> 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.”</p><p>To these charges, Egypt's military spokesman<a href="https://www.facebook.com/EgyArmySpox/posts/pfbid02rC8S7CPHRmQFFjxqvKvBUEYKc3fCupr66Ump34Td2h8Y2hhWArCVcuE7cDzTUGePl?__cft__%5b0%5d=AZULd4k8QGKt7L86vCEuf2Oj37SDcLAUd6owURijEjHZm8u-O3j80NUb1f1fyu3IDEFyTPS3pIdX8q3hxcbyB_9lHAzNdmCtXC1OuNfF4B4LP2BB52JTeVab9P4J2vkNzG-U0rcxSR8enUh9IgZ_m36QFfyOmbPfGeGLc_ENsI2LpueVVb-_gnLivtQXhVmP3bs&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R"> responded in a statement</a> published on his Facebook page: </p><blockquote><p style="margin-left:30pt">“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.” </p></blockquote><p>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<a href="https://thecradle.co/articles/axis-of-normalization-the-arabs-and-turks-who-sustain-israels-wartime-economy"> crossing hubs for Israeli exports and import</a>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.</p><p><a href="https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20241106-israel-continues-to-increase-trade-with-arab-and-muslim-world/">Israeli foreign trade data indicate</a>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.</p><p>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. </p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><div class="gmail-twitter-tweet gmail-twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display:flex;max-width:550px;width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"></div> <p>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. </p><p><strong>What about Germany?</strong></p><p>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.<a href="https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2024/10/24/german-arms-exports-to-israel-increase-despite-export-ban-rumours"> Between August and October</a>,
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. </p><p>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.</p><p>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. </p><p><a href="https://al-akhbar.com/Politics/386936">According to <i>Al Akhbar</i> newspaper</a>, 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. </p><p>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.</p><p>It is arguable that the most serious
incident took place on 17 October, when a German ship downed a Hezbollah
drone heading to Israel.</p><p>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.<br>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. </p></span></div></div></div></div>
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