JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israel will purchase four German warships for $480 million with the help of German government subsidies.
The deal was signed Monday in Israel. About one-third of the purchase — or more than $150 million – will be subsidized by a German government grant. The ships will be delivered in five years by the Thyssen Krupp consortium.
They will be used to patrol Israeli gas drilling rigs in the Mediterranean Sea and secure other work off the Israeli coastline there.
German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen arrived in Israel on Sunday for a visit as the guest of Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon. The same day, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin arrived in Germany for a three-day visit to celebrate 50 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Israel already owns three German-government subsidized Dolphin class submarines and has ordered three more due to be delivered in the coming months.
