German leaders have always strengthened their historical responsibility due to the Holocaust. But there is growing pressure on words and more severe actions against Tel Aviv. “The war in Gaza should end now,” says a joint declaration signed by 28 countries that have had great repercussions. The nations appeal to the parties involved in the conflict to agree with a “ceased immediate, unconditional and permanent fire” and urge compliance with international humanitarian laws.
Among the 28 signing states of the declaration are France, Denmark and the United Kingdom, but not Germany.
However, since he entered in office in early May, the German federal chancellor Friedrich Merz has repeatedly criticized Israeli actions, both in the Gaza and in the West Bank, and expressed his differences in opinion with the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“We clearly and unequivocally declare what is not acceptable and what is happening is no longer acceptable,” he said in a press conference on July 18th.
Holocaust and responsibility with Israel
One of the reasons for this tension is the permanent responsibility of Germany for the light of the Holocaust – the massacre of six million Jews from the Nazi regime which ended only with the victory of the allies over Germany in 1945.
“The existence and safety of the state of Israel are and remain our state reason,” Merz said to Bundestag (Chamber of the Baixa of the German Parliament) in his first declaration of the official government on May 14, 2025.
He referred to the terrorist attack held “in the most barbarous way” by Hamas against Israel on October 7, 2023. “I would like to take the opportunity to say to our Israeli friends: we are firmly next to Israel”.
His predecessor, the Social Democrat Olaf Scholz, also underlined in Jerusalem in 2022 that the Nazi Jewish massacre gives rise to “eternal responsibility for the security of the state of Israel and the protection of Jewish life” to “all the German government”.
The term “eternal responsibility” describes Germany’s special relationship with Israel. Many evaluate as a “miracle” that Israel and the German Federal Republic established complete diplomatic relations in 1965. The young state of Israel initially sought a rigorous distance from the “land of assassins”. Some former member of the Nazi regime were also politically active in post -war Germany.
The rapprochement was preceded by agreements on the repair of repairs by the Germans and the voluntary commitment for the return of the activities, the agreement thus called Luxembourg of 1952.
Initially, it was a rapprochement between two people. The first award of Israel, David Ben-Gurion (1886-1973), defended his vision of an “other Germany”. He and the first German post-war federal chancellor Konrad Adenauer (1876-1967) gathered only twice, in 1960 and 1966. On these occasions, the two statists seemed to be friends at a distance.
From Bergen-Belsen to Berlin and Bonn
The total recovery of diplomatic relations in 1965 was followed by several official visits.
Social Democrat Willy Brandt became the first German Federal Chancellor to make a state visit to Israel in June 1973, which lasted five days. Israeli Premier Yitzhak Rabin arrived in Germany in July 1975, starting his visit to the former concentration camp of Bergen – Belsen before going to Berlin and Bonn – the then capital of western Germany. Heads of government or ministers of the German Democratic Republic (RDA) – Eastern Germany – have never visited Israel.
Angela Merkel, Federal Chancellor from 2005 to 2021, visited Israel eight times, more than all the other German cancellators together. In 2008, he became the first head of the foreign government to speak to Knesset, the Israeli Parliament. He spoke in German, the language of tormenting.
“All federal governments and all cancers in front of me have been engaged in Germany’s special historical responsibility towards Israel’s security. This historical responsibility of Germany is part of my country’s state reason. This means that Israel’s security is never negotiable for me as a German chancellor,” he said.
By the way, the Israeli opposition leader at the time was the current premie Benjamin Netanyahu, who criticized Merkel for keeping her speech to German.
Since then Merkel’s speech on Germany’s “state reason” has become a frequent reference point in defining Teuto-Israeli relationships. He did not invent this term, nor was he the first to use it politically, but he highlighted it.
Cooling of bilateral relationships
Perhaps the phrase said by Merkel is mentioned so often because bilateral relationships in practice have become increasingly difficult. For example, from 2008 to 2018, there were seven government consultations between the two countries in Jerusalem or Berlin. These are great meetings with all the members of the two offices. Since then nothing has happened.
The Israeli government is annoyed by Germany’s insistence on a two -states solution to the crisis between Israelis and Palestinians, which would cause an independent Palestinian state and rejects German criticisms of the illegal construction of settlements in the occupied territories. Berlin also criticizes the involvement of right -wing extremist parties in the Netanyahu government. On the other hand, the German government cannot keep the anti -semitism in Germany under control.
Hamas’ terrorist attacks against Israel, who left over 1,200 dead hostages and 251 hostages, generated numerous messages of solidarity and visits from German politicians in Israel after 7 October 2023. Israel and the United States actions against Iran to prevent him from producing nuclear weapons also received the approval of Berlin. Merz also said that Israel was doing a “dirty work” to the west attacking Iran.
The members of the Israeli hostage family in Gaza are regularly received in Berlin. At the same time, the research shows that many in Germany began to be desired the adoption of a harder language by German politicians, in the face of the images of destruction and tens of thousands of deaths in Gaza.
The most difficult criticisms of Berlin, but without penalties
“The way the Israeli army is reciting is not acceptable,” said Chancellor Merz on Monday (21/07). Since it came into office, he has expressed criticism several times. But, according to his spokespersons, the German government does not consider Israel’s actions in the Gaza range as a genocide and blocks any EU sanctions against Israel.
However, the joint declaration of the 28 nations has given a new impulse to the debate in Germany. The government did not adhere to the appeal, although the politicians of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) – partner of Merz of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in the government coalition – defend this measure.
While the Chancellor Merz and the spokesman for the Stefan Kornelius government underline the unanimity of the CDU-Spd coalition in his approach to Israel, the SPD parliamentary bench at Bundestag asked the government to sign the declaration. The Minister of Development, the Social Democrat Reem Alabal Radovan, made similar comments.
The SPD leader criticizes Israel
“If international law is systematically violated, there should be consequences,” said Matthias Mieersch, leader of the SPD bench, in the X post X. “hungry children, destroyed infrastructures, attacks on those looking for assistance – this contradicts everything that is protected from international humanitarian law.”
The new Secretary General of SPD, Tim Klüssentorf, explicitly connected it to Germany’s special obligation. “If we now criticize an Israeli government that, in our opinion, violates international law, we are not greeting the collaboration with Israel or the State,” he said.
The appeal of the SPD bench was followed by a sign from the Foreign Ministry, led by CDU. The German magazine Der Spiegel released an open letter written by a group of 130 German diplomats, mostly young, but included more than a dozen former prisoners.
In the document, the group asks for more blunt criticism from the Israeli government and concrete measures, ranging from a change of course in relation to German exports to Israel to economic sanctions against Israeli settlements in the occupied territories, through the recognition of a demorally legitimate state. “The time to act is now,” the diplomats concluded.
Source: Terra
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
