Germany can break Saudi Arabia's arms veto by selling Eurofighter jets
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has indicated that Germany is prepared to give the green light for further sales of Eurofighter fighter jets to Saudi Arabia.
Germany's veto prevented the contract signed in London several years ago, which provided for the delivery of 48 Eurofighter Typhoons to Saudi Arabia, from materialising. Berlin has blocked arms sales to Riyadh since the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in late 2018, for which the Saudi state was singled out at the time.
Germany recognises Saudi Arabia's important role in security matters
Annalena Baerbock told the press during her latest official visit to Israel that the German government "does not oppose British considerations" regarding the sale of more Eurofighter fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, as pointed out by various media outlets such as Reuters or Bloomberg. Baerbock spoke to reporters after meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Foreign Minister Israel Katz in Jerusalem.
All of this taking into account the Saudi kingdom's important security role in the Middle East region at a time of instability and great uncertainty in the area after the serious attack by the Palestinian armed group Hamas on Israeli territory on 7 October and the subsequent harsh response by the Israeli state in Gaza to harass those responsible for the terrorist massacre. Annalena Baerbock herself welcomed the Saudi kingdom's important role in regional and Israeli security in the face of the Houthi attacks that are also rocking the region.
The Eurofighter programme encompasses the manufacturers BAE Systems, Airbus and Leonardo under the leadership of major European powers such as the UK, Germany, Italy and Spain. Germany opposed arms sales to Saudi Arabia, and as Eurofighter is a joint venture between the UK, Italy, Germany and Spain, the approval of all these nations is required for the sale of these fighter aircraft.
For his part, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz refused to bow to pressure to overturn the ban on the delivery of Eurofighter aircraft to Saudi Arabia. His government partner, the Green Party, strongly opposed the measure because of its doubts about Saudi Arabia's role in human rights and the war in Yemen.
Although Annalena Baerbock, who belongs to the Green Party, noted during her visit to Israel that Saudi Arabia and Israel "did not abandon the policy of normalisation" in their diplomatic relations after the 7 October attack, she pointed out that "the fact that Saudi Arabia is now intercepting missiles fired by the Houthis against Israel confirms this, and we are grateful for that". The Saudi air force's use of Eurofighter aircraft in this context is "no longer hidden", he said.
"Saudi Arabia is making a decisive contribution to Israel's security, even these days, and is helping to contain the risk of a regional conflict," Baerbock said, as reported by agencies such as Reuters and Bloomberg.
The German minister noted that Saudi Arabia contributes to Israel's security by intercepting missiles fired at Israel by Yemen's Houthi rebels. Baerbock said that, for this reason, "the German government will not oppose the idea of Britain giving more Eurofighters to Saudi Arabia".
Stressing that "Saudi Arabia is a key contributor to Israel's security and is helping to curb the risk of a regional conflagration", Baerbock stressed that "Saudi Arabia is a key contributor to Israel's security and is helping to curb the risk of a regional conflagration". Baerbock stressed that Riyadh has long been aware of the danger posed by the Houthis to regional security.
Germany's ban on the sale of Eurofighter aircraft to Saudi Arabia angered its European partners, but the situation is now changing. "The world, especially here in the Middle East, has been a very different place since 7 October," said Annalena Baerbock. A situation that makes any support for regional security necessary.
Danger in the Red Sea
The Houthis attacked several ships in the Red Sea, warning that they will attack any vessel bound for Israel. The attacks are aimed at supporting Palestinians in the face of Israel's "aggression and blockade" in Gaza.
The Red Sea is one of the world's busiest shipping lanes for oil and fuel, and the disruption of supplies affects important countries around the world, making it vital to maintain security. Given the difficult situation in the area, the United States deployed a multinational mission with some twenty countries to stop attacks by the Houthi rebels, a Shiite group supported by the Islamic Republic of Iran that is fighting the war in Yemen against the legitimate government and against the Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia, which, for its part, is the main representative of the Sunni branch of Islam as opposed to the Shiite branch represented by the regime of the Ayatollahs.