These are astonishing sounds that can be heard before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Berlin. Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier was critical of the judicial reform of the new Israeli government, thus confirming what Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock had already said. When Netanyahu's meeting with Chancellor Olaf Scholz was confirmed and commented on by the government spokesman at the beginning of the week, it also sounded different than usual.
Eckart Lohse
Head of the parliamentary editorial office in Berlin.
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Christian Meier
Political correspondent for the Middle East and North East Africa.
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Matthias Wyssuwa
Political correspondent in Berlin.
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He did not want to comment on the reforms in Israel "from the sidelines," said Steffen Hebestreit. In principle, however, the Federal Government is convinced of the great value of parliamentary democracy. Any changes to a constitution would have to be discussed "again and again very carefully".
Since Netanyahu formed a government with far-right coalition partners in December, Berlin has been looking to Jerusalem with concern. Like its previous governments, the traffic light coalition is holding back from criticizing Israel. Now, however, the protests in Israel against the impending weakening of the judiciary are so fierce that even the German government cannot ignore them. "We see large demonstrations in Tel Aviv and elsewhere against these government plans," Hebestreit said.
"We have to be clear now"
It is precisely registered on the Spree that there have already been major protests in Israel, but that this time the quality is different. The President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Josef Schuster, expressed understanding for the protests against the judicial reform. And Gabriela Heinrich, the chairwoman of the German-Israeli parliamentary group, told the F.A.Z.: "We have to be clear now, because the news from Israel is really worrying." She says: "Precisely because of our deep friendship with Israel, concerns about government action on the ground should also be expressed in all clarity."
The road to this friendship was long. The first Israeli prime minister descended a fire escape to another hotel room to meet a German chancellor for the first time. On March 14, 1960, David Ben-Gurion and Konrad Adenauer spoke on the 35th floor of the Waldorf Astoria in New York. It was an important step towards the close relations between the two countries today, which are anything but self-evident after the Holocaust.
In 1952, the two states had agreed in the Luxembourg Agreement on payments to Israel, and there was talk of reparations. In 1965, the two countries officially established diplomatic relations. The coalition agreement of the traffic light today says: "Israel's security is a reason of state for us." After all, there is not only Germany's past, Israel is also the only democracy in the region. Immediately afterwards, however, the treaty also states: "We will continue to work for a negotiated two-state solution based on the 1967 borders." And this is where things get more complicated with regard to the actions of the new government in Israel.
"German politicians must understand that Israel is facing a turning point," says Muriel Asseburg of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP). With the domestic policy bills, the end of liberal democracy threatens, "with the renunciation of a two-state regulation and the restructuring in the ministries, the transition from a temporary, military occupation to annexation will be completed." If Germany wants to exert influence, then now is a critical time. It must also be about a public signal. It is about building up counter-pressure and sending a signal to the Israeli population about the values Germany supports.
Heinrich says that in addition to judicial reform, the construction of more Israeli settlements in the West Bank and the recognition of illegal settlements threaten to divide society. "This stands in the way of a two-state solution." These dubious developments must be addressed by German politics. But Heinrich doesn't think much of not receiving Netanyahu in the first place, as 1000,<> Israeli artists, writers and scientists have demanded of Berlin. "If you want to talk to each other and you have the opportunity, you should do it in private."