Despite Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's strong calls for German troops to be included in an expanded international force to be deployed in south Lebanon, Germany remains cautious on the issue.
 
For many, the presence of German soldiers along the Israeli border would be loaded with too much symbolism and would raise moral problems.     

Fierce debate

"I have informed Chancellor Angela Merkel that we have absolutely no problem having German troops in South Lebanon," Olmert told German daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung over the weekend.

The Israeli prime minister says German troops will be "part of the force that defends Israel."

Olmert's remarks have sparked a fierce debate across Germany about the country's possible military involvement along the Israeli-Lebanese border after the Nazis killed about 6 million Jews in World War II.

Merkel has rejected any immediate deployment of troops. "We as Germans should approach this region with the greatest caution," she warns.

Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier admitted that talks about Germany's military involvement in the Middle East were being treated with great sensitivity.

"I think this is appropriate given the difficult shared history between Germany and Israel," Steinmeier told German broadcaster ZDF.

Deputy Foreign Minister Gernot Erler ruled out a direct military involvement by German troops "for purely historical reasons."

In an interview with German daily Die Welt, Erler said German troops should not be involved in fighting Israeli troops given its Nazi past.

On the possible participation of German soldiers in the international force in south Lebanon, The Jerusalem Post said there was opposition in the Israeli Foreign Ministry.

However, analysts say the world, notably Israel, may have seen Germany differently over 60 years after Germany's persecution of Europe's Jews.     

A brand-new relationship

"There is at the moment no nation that is behaving in a more friendly way toward Israel than Germany," Olmert told the Sueddeutsche Zeitung daily.

"If Germany can contribute to the security of the Israeli people, that would be a worthwhile task for your country. I would be very happy if Germany participated," he said.

Steinmeier, who was on a peace mission visit to Israel, described Olmert's statement as "a striking indication of trust."

Olmert's wish to see German peacekeepers in the Middle East was a "noteworthy proof of trust" and one which made apparent "the extraordinarily good development between Israel and Germany in the past decades," Steinmeier said.

Indeed, Germany has gone out of its way to show it is a friend of Israel.

Berlin has repeatedly underscored the Jewish state's right to exist and its right to self-defense since the conflict between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah broke out nearly a month ago.

It has avoided directly criticizing Israel although heavy death toll among Lebanese civilians has drawn fierce international condemnation.

It has called for a ceasefire "as quickly as possible" rather than immediately.

Analysts say Germany appears to be backing the US and British position that Hezbollah must be weakened.

Others see Germany's move as part of Merkel's efforts to warm relations with the White House that was strained under her predecessor, Gerhard Schroeder, who vigorously opposed the US-led war against Iraq.     

Not until a UN mandate

Nevertheless, the debate on Germany's military involvement in the Middle East is too early given that there's still no UN mandate or framework for an international peacekeeping force in the region.
 
"We can not yet answer the question" of whether German solders might join the much anticipated peacekeeping forces in the Middle East, Steinmeier said. "We would need more clear information on the mandate of such a mission."

But something is clear. For Germany, sending troops abroad is nothing new as Germany is already involved in several international operations, most notably in Kosovo and Afghanistan.

Defense Minister Franz Josef Jung has said that if both Israel and Lebanon and the international community requested German participation, it would be difficult for Berlin to decline.

Considering the sensitivity brought by Germany's Nazi past, Merkel has pointed to alternatives to a military contribution in the Middle East, such as help in training the Lebanese police and army.
 
Others suggested German troops could help in logistical matters or prevent the influx of weapons into northern Lebanon from Syria.

"There is a whole series of tasks that Germany can take on in the framework of international efforts for a sustainable, peaceful solution," Merkel said.

(Xinhua News Agency August 10, 2006)