Is Germany really an obvious ally? - Eldad Beck

 

​ by Eldad Beck

For years, Israel neglected its ties with the German public due to this lazy assumption. Meanwhile, the country has become the hub of Europe's anti-Israel activity.

Germany used to be the European Union's anchor of stability but is now sinking in political chaos. Similarly to many other Western countries, including Israel, neither the Right nor the Left can garner enough votes to receive a definite majority at the elections.

A right-wing majority is impossible as long as at least one in 10 Germans gives his vote to the populist right-wing Alternative for Germany, which is boycotted by other rightist parties due to extremist views. A solid left-wing majority is not guaranteed either, in part due to disagreements between members of the camp on crucial national matters.

The absence of any such majority necessitates the creation of a coalition based on a compromise that would be too busy managing the national crisis instead of outlining a policy that would help Germany move forward.

On the one hand, the weakness of Germany, and the entire European Union for that matter, might bode well for Israel: instead of constantly getting involved with Israel's internal affairs and trying to bring about dangerous political arrangements, like the two-state solution, Germans and Europeans will continue to be preoccupied with their own problems.

On the other hand, Israel's waning ties with Germany are a cause for concern. The three future chancellor candidates – conservative Armin Laschet, Social Democrat Olaf Scholz, and "the green" Annalena Baerbock – can certainly be considered friends of Israel, which is not the case with most of their respective party members.
And certainly not with most of the German public.

For years, Israel has neglected its relations with the Germans, due to the lazy assumption that Germany was an obvious ally, due to historical reasons. Moreover, throughout the years, Jerusalem has entrusted its relations with Berlin to left-wing elements, some of whom hold anti-Zionistic views.

If the upcoming elections do yield a left-wing majority government in Germany, then the country's anti-Israel activity will receive a significant boost, even if the government will be preoccupied with the national crisis.

The Social Democratic Party of Germany, which attracts Muslim and Arab votes, promotes "Palestinian Germans" to senor positions and its members have a history of freezing arms deals between Berlin and Jerusalem. The Left democratic socialist party is involved in efforts to promote the Boycott, Divest and Sanctions movement. And even among "The Greens" some were disgruntled at the Bundestag's decision to define the BDS movement as antisemitic.

Although the Merkel administration has promoted several initiatives to foster ties with Israel, it has not acted with enough determination to prevent the country from becoming one of the hubs of anti-Israel activity in Europe.

Nothing reflects this more than German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier's visit to Israel in June, with a member of his delegation – Omri Boehm – a known Israel critic and supporter of BDS.

 

Eldad Beck

Source: https://www.israelhayom.com/opinions/is-germany-really-an-obvious-ally/

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