After Israeli lobbying, Germany pledges to reassess sub deal with Egypt, report claims

After extensive lobbying efforts, Israel has convinced Berlin to rethink the sale of two attack submarines to Egypt, the German weekly Der Spiegel reported Tuesday.

Although Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Defense Ministry have known about the deal for Cairo to buy two Type-209 attack subs since last year, senior government officials in Jerusalem only complained in Berlin earlier this month, citing Israeli security concerns and the need to preserve Israel’s military edge in the Middle East, the newsmagazine reported.

On Tuesday, Der Spiegel reported that the German government agreed for the deal to be reconsidered and again discussed by the Federal Security Council. The council, whose meetings are secret, would withdraw its previous approval “if the Egyptian government pursues a policy hostile to Israel,” the magazine wrote. “That’s a personal promise [German Chancellor Angela] Merkel gave to Netanyahu.”

Source and full story: Times of Israel, 11 Sept 2012