The Munich-based newspaper said Germany was trapped in a contradiction of its own making: in relations with Israel, Berlin invokes historical responsibility while avoiding the consequences of present-day reality.
It said Chancellor Friedrich Merz had made “surprisingly unambiguous” comments in describing the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran as being conducted without a “convincing end plan”.
“At almost the same time, Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul was assuring his Israeli counterpart Gideon Saar in Jerusalem that Germany stands by Israel,” the paper wrote. “In this situation, the question arises how one can simultaneously regard the military campaign as lacking a plan and yet still support its commander.”
The paper said Merz himself appeared to have understood after taking office that unconditional loyalty to Israel was isolating him internationally and undermining his ambition to play a leading role in Europe.
As a result, Berlin’s Middle East policy “is not coherent,” the paper said. On one hand, Germany recognizes the “bitter reality,” above all the suffering of people in Gaza. On the other, it wants to live up to its historical responsibility toward Israel.
Germany’s position no longer matches political reality, the newspaper argued, saying Israel had changed “from a democracy in need of protection into an aggressively expansionist power.”
“Long-term unconditional support for Israel has cost Germany credibility on the international stage,” the paper wrote.
“To regain it, Berlin would have to distance itself from demonstrative closeness to the Israeli government,” it added, saying that only then could Germany help build a genuinely common European foreign policy toward the Middle East.
(jh)
Source: PAP