Israel must not be left alone by its friends. This includes constructive criticism and support from Germany in building the peaceful coexistence of two peoples.
Look away again? 80 years after the end of the Shoah? These days mark 80 years since the end of World War II. A war that Germany started by attacking its neighbor Poland. Nazi Germany went on to attack other countries in Europe, such as France, the Netherlands and occupied them. The Nazi regime waged war not only against states, but also against peoples who, then as now, live across national borders. This second simultaneously occurring war was waged exclusively against unarmed civilians. It was a genocide against the Jewish people, but also against the Sinti and Roma and against Poles.
In my conversations with eyewitnesses from the Nazi era and survivors of the German-Jewish population, one thing became clear to me: Jewish civilians felt utterly powerless. At a certain point, the trap snapped shut and there was no escape. They could no longer cross borders and could not leave either Germany or the areas occupied by Germany. They were also powerless within those borders. Some tried to hide, but many were found. It is this utter hopelessness of the situation for Jews at the time that today forces a comparison to me with the situation of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip: Escape excluded.
Palestine and Israel
Of course, the events that led to the now and then current situations are not comparable. The so-called Third Reich was the aggressor more than 80 years ago and sought to exterminate the Jewish people. Israel, after the worst pogrom against Jews since the Shoah in October 2023, is now attacking the terrorist organization Hamas in the Gaza Strip to destroy it. Since the Israeli offensive began, over 50,000 people in Gaza have died, mostly children, women, and the elderly: that are unarmed civilians. The Israeli leadership accepts these casualties, both Palestinian and the Jewish hostages alike.
Then as now, innocents live in an “open-air prison.” Not in a closed building, but in what is essentially their homeland. Yet they cannot leave the embattled territory, as would normally be possible. The same reasons that have driven so many refugee movements in this and the past century. In Gaza, there is no place to hide: not in hospitals, schools, mosques, refugee shelters, by the sea, in olive groves, in the rubble, in plain sight on the streets, nor even in clearly marked ambulances. The sky over Gaza is their hell. Women, children, the elderly, and the young can be killed by Israeli bombs at any time and in any place. It is a completely hopeless situation for the people of Gaza.
How is the free world responding? What is Germany doing today?
A few days ago, hearings began at the International Court of Justice in The Hague regarding Israel’s obligation to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza. Since early March, Israel has imposed a total blockade, halting all aid deliveries. The Israeli government refuses to cooperate with the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in Gaza, accusing it of being infiltrated by Hamas members. A ruling by the court may take months. It could compel Israel to allow aid deliveries again.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has, since October 2023, been working to prevent escalation and further loss of life on both sides. Before the Israeli army invaded Gaza in November 2023, he called for international humanitarian law to be upheld. He said: Israel must not collectively punish the Palestinian people. Israel reacted harshly, accusing Guterres of downplaying the Hamas attack of October 7 and demanded his resignation. In October 2024, Israel declared him persona non grata, saying he was biased and had taken the side of Israel’s enemies. When Guterres tried to visit Gaza when standing before the closed gate, he was denied entry.
The United Nations, UN
The UN Secretary-General represents all peoples. He condemned Hamas terror against Israelis just as he condemned the killing of civilians by Israeli rockets. Calling him biased shows Israel’s misunderstanding of the role of the United Nations. The UN was founded in autumn 1945 after the greatest catastrophe in human history. One of its core missions is to guarantee universal human rights. The UN and its agencies serve all peoples of the world. These human rights apply everywhere, always, and to everyone—including peoples not officially represented in the UN, such as the Palestinians. Israel’s maxim, “If you’re not with us, you’re against us”, is incompatible with the principles of the UN.
Germany is in a diplomatic dilemma. On the one hand, the German government has repeatedly urged Israel to comply with humanitarian law in Gaza, most recently in April 2025 in a joint declaration by Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and her counterparts from France and the UK. They demand: Israel must lift the blockade. The conflation of humanitarian aid with the fight against a terrorist entity is unacceptable. On the other hand, Baerbock has consistently emphasized Israel’s right to self-defense. In September 2024, when the UN General Assembly voted for Israel’s withdrawal from occupied Palestinian territories, Germany abstained. When the International Criminal Court (not a UN body) issued arrest warrants in November 2024 for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, the German government responded with ambiguity. It expressed support for the ICC, but also emphasized the special nature of Germany’s relationship with Israel due to its history.
Germany’s dilemma
This stance is like spinning on one’s own axis: no real movement in any direction that would send a clear signal. The often-quoted phrase that “Israel’s security is Germany’s raison d’état” adds to the confusion. Former Chancellor Angela Merkel coined the phrase in 2008 in a speech to Israel’s parliament. Baerbock has repeatedly clarified that this does not mean unconditional support for the current Israeli government’s policies. According to the German government, this raison d’état stems from Germany’s special responsibility for Israel’s right to exist. A responsibility rooted in the Holocaust, which ended exactly 80 years ago.
But what else could responsibility for the Jewish state mean? Israel is not helped when its allies refrain from expressing criticism. Clear words both in public and in private are especially needed from those whose support is certain. Germany supplies Israel with weapons. If these are used in violation of international law or even to commit war crimes, it will be required more than friendly engagement. Responsibility for the use of German-supplied weapons demands critical questions and if necessary, a halt to further deliveries.
Democracies are built on criticism
Germany lacks a public debate about Israeli government policy. This is not because Israel counters every form of criticism harshly. Many states do. Rather, the question arises: can one criticize Israel when one’s own nation nearly exterminated the Jewish people? The answer is yes, of course. Criticism helps identify and correct mistakes. Democracies thrive on criticism, both internally and among allies. Especially among allies, criticism is vital for survival. What else should governments respond to, beyond the will of their citizens? Such debates must take place in the UN, the EU, and between national governments. The rulings of international courts provide guidance. Accepting them is vital for all democracies. It’s vital, since to whom we may refer to, if our democracy is at stake some day in future?
The lack of or weak public debate on Israel’s actions in Gaza in the world sends the wrong signal to Israeli society. Critical voices in Israel receive no external support. Yet such signals and support are crucial for minority voices political or ethnic in any democracy. In April 2025, between Israel’s memorial days for war and Shoah victims, 350 authors signed an open letter opposing the Gaza war. Relatives of the few remaining hostages have repeatedly criticized their government’s stance. These voices are the core of Israel’s democracy.
What ensures the survival of both people, is right.
It would be a grossly misguided show of support if recently inaugurated German Chancellor Friedrich Merz were to receive Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu in Germany. This would legitimize the Israeli government, and all of its recent actions. It would also breach International Criminal Court rules, as Netanyahu would have to be arrested. Much is at stake. Israel may destroy its own future for generations if both Palestinians and Israelis are driven by hatred and revenge. Germany, meanwhile, loses credibility in the UN and in many uninvolved countries. If German politicians in the future call on other countries to uphold human rights or the rule of law, the accusation of double standards will be inevitable.
The German public must also ask which expressions of opinion are permitted and which are not. It seems undemocratic if the German government quickly suspects public protests towards Israeli actions of antisemitism. A clear distinction must be made. Criticism of the Israeli government that acknowledges Israel’s right to exist while demanding universal human rights for both Jews and Palestinians is not antisemitism. On the contrary: such criticism is essential to prevent antisemitism.
Peoples of the world = Gaza
“Peoples of the world!” called the Mayor of West Berlin, Ernst Reuter, in September 1948 to governments around the world. “Look upon this city!” He meant that the free world must not abandon this besieged piece of a city. The Russian occupiers had blocked all access routes in and out of West Berlin. In response, the Allies launched the legendary Berlin Airlift, already underway when Reuter spoke. For over a year, former enemies, the U.S., France, and the UK, supplied West Berliners with essential goods. The message was clear: We will not abandon the trapped.
That’s the point now as well. The Israeli government must immediately allow humanitarian aid back into Gaza. The new German government must support in its own interest international organizations and demand the humanitarian supply of Gaza’s people and even against Israel’s objections. That would be the right signal of reconciliation for May 8, 2025. Supporting Israel and aiding the suffering civilians in Gaza are one and the same thing: it is a human imperative.