Germany's Relations With Israel: Background and Implications for German Middle East Policy
Abstract
Most observers agree that moral considerations surrounding the Holocaust continue to compel German leaders to make support for Israel a policy priority. Since 1949, successive German governments have placed this support at the forefront of their Middle East policy and today, Germany, along with the United States, is widely considered one of Israel's closest allies. Germany ranks as Israel's second largest trading partner and long-standing defense and scientific cooperation, people-to people exchanges and cultural ties between the two countries continue to grow. On the other hand, public criticism of Israel in Germany, and particularly of its policies with regard to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, appears to be on the rise. Since the mid-1990s, German policy toward Israel has become progressively influenced by Germany s commitment to a two-state solution to the Israeli- Palestinian conflict. Germany has been one of the single largest contributors to the Palestinian Authority (PA) and an increasingly vocal advocate for European Union (EU) engagement in the Middle East. Germany s September 2006 decision to send a naval contingent to the Lebanese coast as part of an expanded United Nations mission after Israel s July 2006 war with Hezbollah is considered to have significantly raised German interest in a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and sparked widespread debate within Germany regarding the evolution of the German-Israeli relationship and Germany s role in the region. Stating that the Israeli- Palestinian conflict lies at the root of other challenges in the Middle East, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has announced her intention to revive international engagement in the peace process while Germany holds the EU s rotating presidency during the first half of 2007.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 19, 2007
- Accession Number
- ADA469267
Entities
People
- Paul Belkin
Organizations
- Library of Congress