Despite the judicial reform in Israel, which has been accompanied by mass protests, the German government is sticking to close security cooperation with the country. For the first time since the right-wing government under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took office, high-ranking officials from both governments met this week for a “German-Israeli strategic dialogue”. This had been agreed with the previous Israeli government under Naftali Bennett and took place in Israel last year. The continuation is seen as a signal that Germany, despite the criticism of the feared dismantling of the rule of law, does not want to impair cooperation with Israel. On the fringes of the United Nations General Assembly in New York in September, according to information from Süddeutsche Zeitung a meeting between Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and Netanyahu is planned.
Security and defense cooperation is becoming increasingly important for both sides. Traditionally, German arms deliveries to Israel have played an important role. Germany is now also an important buyer of Israeli military equipment. In mid-August, the US government gave the go-ahead for the export of the air defense system developed jointly with Israel Arrow given to Germany. The arrowSales to Germany made waves in Israel far beyond the economic importance of this billion-dollar business. Netanyahu has praised it as a “historic turning point” that the state of the Holocaust survivors is now making a key contribution to Germany’s military security. The satisfaction with the changed weights is so great that the prime minister jokingly announced the transfer of Israeli soccer goalkeeper Daniel Peretz to Bayern Munich as a contribution to “German defence”.
Ukraine refuses to deliver deadly weapons to Israel
The exchange of information between the two countries is also intensive. According to SZ information, BND boss Bruno Kahl and the heads of the Mossad and the domestic secret service Shin Bet also took part in the meeting, which was held on Wednesday and was chaired by Chancellor Scholz’s foreign policy adviser, Jens Plötner, and Netanyahu’s security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi. According to the German government, the focus of the talks was both the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East. While Israel supports Ukraine, it also wants to avoid a conflict with Russia, which is allied to the regimes in Syria and Iran. Ukraine therefore refuses to deliver lethal weapons to Israel.
Criticism of the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories and the violence by settlers is said to have been voiced by the German side during the meeting. The federal government had repeatedly expressed criticism of the judicial reform. She walks a tightrope trying not to jeopardize relations with the government in Jerusalem, while at the same time showing sympathy for the protest movement. During Netanyahu’s visit to Berlin in March, Chancellor Scholz warned against a dismantling of democracy and the rule of law, but at the same time emphasized Germany’s special responsibility for the Jewish state. “Our wish is that our partner in values, Israel, remains a liberal democracy,” he said.
The federal government is pinning its hopes on President Isaac Herzog. Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier is planning a trip to Israel at the end of November. Internationally, the extreme right-wing Israeli government has been threatened with increasing isolation since it took office in December. Top-class state guests have become rare, and the relationship with the United States, its closest ally, has also been disrupted. The clearest sign of this is that Netanyahu is still waiting for an invitation to the White House – and US President Joe Biden has so far demonstratively left him hanging.