No one sees or would ever see Israel as a charity case!!! Israel's doing a fantastic job in research and technology (although I think they share their technology with the wrong people like Turkey). And if Germany gives a firend's bonus, it has several reasons: Israel is the only democracy and partner in the ME. It surely has to be supported by any means. And Israel using German technology is for many countries a reference of quality. As everyone knows, Israel just has AAA technology in it's army for safety reasons. So it is also a good advertising. Since the US do often buy products that are found as good by Israel...
Hyades,
You are making excellent points! Here are my two cents on this matter:
1) Germany is the best partner Israel has in Europe, perhaps even better than US.
2) Israel is the best partner and friend for Germany in the ME, it actually saves not only Germany but the whole Western World by fighting, basically alone, against muslime hordes. Europeans, of course, have not recognized it yet. Any help to Israel is akin to Lend Lease offered by US to Allies.
3) Germany will never become a muslime country, no matter how hysterical we, on the right, are crying about it. G-d forbid from this nightmare!
4) Germany has a moral obligation to support Israel in order to prevent another Holocaust
5) German/Israel trade should be mutually beneficial - Germany should and does benefit just as much from economic and military cooperation with Israel.
6) Israel is fully capable to free its economy from foreign donations. If Germany does subsidize Israel at its own expense and against its own financial and political interests, I truly believe that this would actually hurt Israel. I do believe, however, that there is a great deal of its own industry subsidization going on when a German taxpayer pays for construction of subs by qualified German builders on German shipyards. It so often done in the business under various "pretenses" - subsidized agriculture, discounts, dealer pricing, "2 for one" sale, etc, etc. Car dealers do it very often as they make most of their money on service, not on selling new cars.
7) Most importantly, although completely missed by non-religious people, modern Germany will be blessed by G-d for doing its part in helping Israel to sustain muslime onslaught. Who knows, perhaps German salvation from muslime scare lies in Jerusalem more than it does in Berlin?