'Faber is prepared to accept a pay check from Elbit – a profiteer of the Gaza genocide.'
By David Cronin: Europe remains far too obedient to Donald Trump.
While his NATO allies are so far refusing to take part directly in the war against Iran, the US president has not been totally abandoned.
By allowing Ramstein to be used for crimes of aggression – for that is what the assaults on Iran constitute – the Berlin government is underscoring that it is still Washington’s plaything.
Along with hosting US troops, Germany is a vital partner for Israel’s arms industry.
Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest weapons exporter, has taken a number of steps to reinforce that partnership recently.
One step has involved bringing German “journalists” – stenographers may be a more accurate term – on propaganda trips.
The trips have yielded predictably fawning coverage.
Burghard Lindhorst is among the “journalists” who has been escorted to a “secret location in the heart of Israel” where Elbit makes drones. In return for that privilege, he rhapsodized about how those remote-controlled warplanes have “proven their worth” as they went “hunting” Iran’s missile launchers.
Another step to reinforce the partnership with Germany involves expanding Elbit Systems Deutschland, a subsidiary based in the southwestern city of Ulm.
A few weeks ago, Elbit promoted Iron Fist – technology for “armored fighting vehicles” – during an arms fair in Nuremberg.
If the German Army is willing to incorporate Iron Fist into its battle tanks, then the equipment could be manufactured in Germany, Elbit has signaled.
In a report published on the website of Elbit Systems Deutschland, the firm noted that Israel has installed Iron Fist into the D9 bulldozer, as well as the Eitan, an “armored personnel carrier.”
For some reason, Elbit forgot to point out that D9s are best known as the weapons with which Israel demolishes Palestinian homes. Nor did it mention that the Eitan – hyped as the Israeli military’s Lamborghini by the media outlet Ynet – is being tested during the genocide in Gaza.
As German as schnitzel?
It would not be surprising if Elbit Systems Deutschland seeks to conceal or downplay how it is Israeli owned in the future. Indeed, it seems to have already begun doing so.
At least one publication focused on the weapons trade has published a puff piece conveying the impression that Elbit Systems Deutschland is as German as schnitzel. Similarly, when Elbit Systems Deutschland and the technology firm genua announced a joint project to develop “highly-secure radio devices” earlier this month, the words “Israel” or “Israeli” did not feature even once.
Bloomberg – a titan of the business press – was a little more forthcoming, when it recently reported that Germany is negotiating a deal to buy a large consignment of missiles and rocket launchers from Elbit.
The weapons would be assembled “on German soil,” Bloomberg reported. Despite acknowledging that Elbit is Israeli, the story contained no reference whatsoever to the Gaza genocide or any other crime committed with help from the firm’s weapons.
Elbit admittedly engages in some acts of charity.
When the ultra-liberal Free Democrats were rejected by voters in a 2025 election, Elbit rescued one of the party’s politicians.
Marcus Faber had been chair of the defense committee in the Bundestag, Germany’s national assembly. After losing his Bundestag seat last year, he was appointed a vice president of Elbit Systems Deutschland.
His new role tasks Faber with representing the company in both Berlin and Brussels.
Under a code of conduct applying to lobbyists, Faber and Elbit Systems Deutschland should join the European Union’s so-called “transparency register.” A search of that register indicates they have not yet done so.
That said, if Faber is prepared to accept a pay check from Elbit – a profiteer of the Gaza genocide – respecting ethical requirements may not be his top priority.
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