From: "Rich Gauszka" 

Israel seems to have a penchant for firing on the ships of other nations.


http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=topNews&storyid=2006-11-04T
162706Z_01_L04155290_RTRUKOC_0_US-GERMANY-ISRAEL.xml&src=rss&rpc=22

BERLIN (Reuters) - Israel is ignoring deals on the policing of Lebanese
airspace and is struggling to accept international peacekeepers in the
region, a German deputy foreign minister was quoted as saying on Saturday.

"That Israel is still trying to control the airspace over Lebanon
despite the international presence of French, Italian and other soldiers,
runs contrary to every agreement," Gernot Erler told the Frankfurter
Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung.

"The Israelis have so far rejected every internationalization of their
security. But this is now happening with the UNIFIL mission. It's evidently
something the Israeli armed forces take some getting used to."

Germany assumed command of a U.N. naval force off Lebanon last month and
has sent eight ships and 1,000 service personnel to join the international
peace operation in the region.

Erler's comments, published in a preview of Sunday's edition, follow
incidents in which Israeli air force encounters with German forces provoked
so-called "misunderstandings".

The first, late last month, involved two planes which a German paper said
had fired twice as they flew over a German navy ship. It was followed by a
separate run-in with the German navy in an area used by the Israeli air
force for training.

Erler said he had confidence in Israel's assurances that such incidents
would not be repeated. If this were not the case, the two sides would need
to talk again, he said.

The naval force is there to prevent weapons smuggling and help maintain a
cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah guerillas.

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