News

Ahead of a Israeli-German cabinet meeting in Berlin, median reports
indicate that Israel intends to station one of its German-made Dolphin
submarines in the waters of the Persian Gulf.

“Israel’s use of the dolphin submarine in exercises in the red sea
aroused fears that Israel may seek to maintain a continued presence in
the Persian Gulf as soon as it receives its submarines form Germany in
2011-2012,” the tagesspiegel said on Sunday.

The meeting, delayed in November due to Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu’s illness, is expected to focus on Israel’s push to
buy a sixth Dolphin-class nuclear submarine from the Germans.

During the day-long trip by the centre-right government, Netanyahu seeks to expand Tel Aviv’s submarine fleet.

Israel has previously received three submarines as a donation form
the government of the then German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.

The German newspaper Berliner Zeitung in 2003 revealed that
Germany`s leading shipyard company Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft was
involved in negotiations with Israel to construct two additional
Dolphin submarines.

The company confirmed the reports adding the German government had
approved them. Days later the German Focus magazine reported that Tel
Aviv will not be receiving the submarines as the German government had
decided to halt the delivery of the two submarines to Israel... >>>