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

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, 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 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 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'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 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 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 imports. 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 indicates 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, 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, 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.