The Israeli government is in the midst of another diplomatic crisis, this time with Germany. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused to meet Germany’s foreign minister this week in Jerusalem because the minister had met leftist Israeli groups Breaking the Silence and Betselem. These civil society groups have documented the abuses of Israeli soldiers in the West Bank and Gaza.
For its part, Germany has encouraged groups such as Breaking the Silence and supported their work. Their members regularly tour German cities and representatives of Betselem have met with the high-level German politicians. The image of Germany as a diehard supporter of Palestinian rights is, however, complicated.
Since the 1950s, Germany has maintained a close military partnership with Israel. The alliance began with a reparations agreement in which Germany supplied Israel with military equipment and aid because of the events of the second world war. From that point, the alliance between Tel Aviv and Berlin has blossomed into a booming trade of hardware and intelligence. Israeli politicians regularly refer to the relationship with Germany as the second most important alliance after the one with the United States.
Over the past decade, the Israeli navy has received several German Dolphin class submarines capable of carrying nuclear warheads. Given Israel’s position of ambiguity with its nuclear weapons programme, there has been significant protest over Berlin’s decision to sell such advanced equipment to Tel Aviv.
The heart of this issue is the fact that Israel’s military prowess is predicated on the occupation and domination of Palestine. Therefore, any state that conducts a robust military alliance with Tel Aviv is indirectly benefiting from and tacitly supporting the Israeli occupation. While it is noble that Germany’s political establishment is keen to develop ties with civil society groups working to dismantle the occupation, the actions of the country’s military establishment has a much more profound effect. As long as countries around the world work with the Israeli military, the occupation of Palestine will continue.
