Israel, Germany deepen cyber, counterterror ties in new pact

Agreement coincides with a $3.1b contract to expand Germany’s new IAI-made Arrow 3 missile defense system.

By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt signed a joint declaration Sunday formalizing expanded cooperation in cybersecurity and other defense arenas.

“The declaration signed today anchors deep cooperation with Germany in the fields of cyber defense, counterterrorism and advanced technologies and translates security commitment into joint action,” Netanyahu said.

The prime minister specifically referred to the threat of Iran and its terror proxies – Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis – which “threaten not only Israel but regional stability and international security.”

The agreement covers collaboration in artificial intelligence and drone defense. Cybercrime will be an additional field where the two allies will enhance their cooperation.

Calling Berlin a “natural partner” for Jerusalem, Netanyahu said that the pact “elevated bilateral security and technological cooperation to a new strategic level.”

Cybersecurity was an especially important arena, he said, as it is “one of the main threats to our internal security, and in many ways also our infrastructure and other threats.”

As the two men used pens to sign the pact in front of the cameras, Netanyahu quipped, “It’s amazing in the age of cyber that we still do this.”

The enhanced cooperation will benefit Germany greatly, according to Dobrindt.

“We have a strong interest in learning how Israel built its Cyberdome,” he said. “We want to benefit from their experience and know-how.”

The agreement comes as Germany continues to significantly increase its defense spending amid heightened concerns over Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, which Berlin views as a renewed threat to European security.

In that context, Berlin separately signed Sunday a $3.1 billion contract with state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) that will greatly expand the number of interceptors and launchers for the Arrow 3 system that Germany newly installed last month.

“The Arrow 3 contract expansion represents another significant milestone in our deepening strategic partnership with Germany, our key European ally,” said Defense Ministry Director-General Amir Baram.

Germany’s original $3.5 billion purchase made it the first country outside Israel to acquire the Arrow 3 anti-ballistic missile defense system.

Israeli officials noted at the time the historic significance of the Jewish state now helping to protect German skies, 80 years after the Holocaust.

Arrow 3Cyber securitydefense pactIsrael-Germany relations