The Berlin BDS group (Boycott Divestment Sanctions) will demonstrate on July 9th in Berlin against Rheinmetall, a German firm which is in a joint venture with Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd (IAI) to provide Heron drones for use by the Bundeswehr (German military) in Afghanistan. German soldiers have been trained in Israel to use the drones. IAI also provides drones to the Canadian and French military, among others, for use in Afghanistan. The July 9th protest, which is likely to be modest in size, is also to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the call by Palestinian civil society for BDS. BDS activists in Germany are exploring the feasibility of launching a longer-range national campaign regarding Rheinmetall in association with the broader German peace movement. For info on the Rheinmetall/IAI deal see “Rheinmetall Defense, IAI sign multi-million UAV contract” http://www.israelgateway.com/articles/433/ and also http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/Germany-Leases-Israeli-Herons-for-Afghanistan-05897/ and http://www.iai.co.il/32981-40073-en/MediaRoom_News.aspx.