{"id":304078,"date":"2025-10-06T12:00:22","date_gmt":"2025-10-06T11:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=304078"},"modified":"2025-10-02T03:12:16","modified_gmt":"2025-10-02T02:12:16","slug":"germany-is-shamelessly-weaponising-its-nazi-past-to-justify-support-for-genocidal-israel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2025\/10\/germany-is-shamelessly-weaponising-its-nazi-past-to-justify-support-for-genocidal-israel\/","title":{"rendered":"Germany Is Shamelessly Weaponising Its Nazi Past to Justify Support for Genocidal Israel"},"content":{"rendered":"

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28 Sep 2025\u00a0–\u00a0A new YouGov survey shows that<\/a> most Germans now believe Israel<\/a> is committing genocide. This view challenges their government\u2019s decades long position of unconditional support for the Israeli occupation, which is rooted in Germany\u2019s<\/a> dark Nazi past but now weaponised to crush any dissent and justify complicity in mass atrocities.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Israeli occupation\u2019s right to \u2018self-defense\u2019: an obsession of German government<\/h3>\n

After the horrors of the Holocaust, where six million Jews and five million \u2018others\u2019 \u2013 including disabled, Roma, and gays \u2013 were murdered<\/a>, Germany vowed<\/a> \u2018never again\u2019. But over the decades \u2018never again\u2019 has become a state doctrine that elevates Israel\u2019s right to self defence and security above free speech, civil rights, and even human life in Gaza, evolving into what many see as a government obsession.<\/p>\n

In the aftermath of the Nazi holocaust, West Germany enshrined Israel\u2019s security into national identity through the principle of\u00a0Staatsr\u00e4son, or \u2018reason of state<\/a>\u2019 \u2013 meaning it is a top national priority deeply connected to Germany\u2019s responsibility for its past crimes, and in the 1952 Reparations Agreement Germany agreed to pay<\/a> billions in compensation to the newly established Israeli state. Eventual diplomatic relations in 1965 marked the start of the \u2018special relationship<\/a>\u2019 between the two countries. This belief that defending Israel honours the memory of the Holocaust victims still drives much of Germany\u2019s political agenda today.<\/p>\n

Unwavering support for Israel at the heart of Germany\u2019s foreign policy<\/h3>\n

This has meant that successive German governments have\u00a0 placed the Israeli regime at the heart of their foreign policy. In 2008, Angela Merkel told the Israeli parliament that<\/a> Israel\u2019s right to exist is just as important to Germany as it is to Israel itself, and she called this support \u201cfundamental and non-negotiable\u201d. Most recently, chancellor Olaf Scholz<\/a> and the current chancellor Friedrich Merz<\/a>, who last week had a criminal complaint filed against him<\/a> for aiding and abetting the Israeli occupation\u2019s genocide in Gaza, have said the same. For many German leaders, supporting Israel is not just about history but supposedly about preventing past horrors from happening again, and they wrongly see Israel as a safeguard against those dangers.<\/p>\n

This unwavering support comes at a great cost to the freedom of those living in Germany who are shocked and disgusted about the ongoing genocide in Gaza and outraged about the Israeli occupation\u2019s system of apartheid and land theft in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and take to the streets<\/a> demanding change from the German government.<\/p>\n

Clampdown on anything pro-Palestine in Germany<\/h3>\n

Things have become much worse since October 2023, with the country dramatically clamping down on pro-Palestinian activism and political expression. Authorities have equated<\/a> dissent with antisemitism, banning demonstrations, and arresting protestors, including many for carrying Palestinian flags or chanting slogans such as \u201cfrom the river to the sea, Palestine will be free\u201d, labelling these actions as \u2018terrorist support\u2019.<\/p>\n

But this repressive environment extends beyond policing protests. Events, exhibitions, and awards have been cancelled<\/a> over statements made by people who are critical about the Israeli occupation. This includes<\/a> the barring of the UN\u2019s Special Rapporteur for the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Francesca Albanese, twice, from holding public events in Germany.<\/p>\n

In the case of Ali Abunimah, a Palestinian-American journalist and founder of the Electronic Intifada<\/em>, the German government threatened<\/a> him with fines and up to one year in prison for speaking at the \u2018Palestine Conference in Exile\u2019, via Zoom, accusing him of violating German laws. Despite a legal order banning him from participating, Abunimah gave the speech anyway.<\/p>\n

Anti-Zionist Jewish activists have also seen<\/a> their bank accounts frozen, and the state has aggressively surveilled and harassed civil society groups that operate within the Palestinian solidarity movement.<\/p>\n

No funding for any organisations or projects critical of the occupation\u2019s crimes<\/h3>\n

In November, 2024, the German parliament also passed<\/a> a controversial antisemitism resolution, known as Never Again Is Now: Protecting, Preserving and Strengthening Jewish Life, <\/em>which mandates that authorities assess culture and scientific projects for \u2018antisemitic content\u2019 before granting funding. The resolution, which uses the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance\u2019s (IHRA) definition of antisemitism <\/a>\u2013 that anyone who criticises Israel is antisemitic \u2013 is meant to ensure that<\/a>:<\/p>\n

no organizations or projects that spread antisemitism, question Israel\u2019s right to exist, call for a boycott of Israel or actively support the\u00a0Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement<\/a> receive financial support.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

But the real reason for this resolution is to silence critics of the Israeli occupation.<\/p>\n

Migration control has been transformed<\/a> into a weapon of political repression, with foreign nationals who express Palestinian solidarity or criticise Israeli government policies continuing to face deportation or threatened with losing residency, with national security arguments masking political motives. This has raised serious human rights<\/a> concerns not just about Germany\u2019s treatment of these migrants but also about<\/a> the erosion of freedom of expression and association, which end up marginalising Palestinians and Arab-Germans in society.<\/p>\n

Germany complicit in genocide<\/h3>\n

Germany has been an accomplice to the occupation\u2019s genocide in Gaza from the beginning, as it remains one of the Israeli occupation\u2019s closest economic and military allies, and is the second largest arms exporter to the regime, after the US, with export licenses between 7 October 2023 and 13 May 2025 with individual export licenses for the final export of military equipment to Israel holding a total value of almost \u00a3425 million<\/a>. This included firearms, ammunition, weapon parts, special equipment for the army and navy, electronic equipment, and special armored vehicles.<\/p>\n

Though Chancellor Merz announced a partial halt to approving arms exports to Israel in August 2025, Germany has since implemented a more comprehensive freeze, with no new export licenses <\/a>granted to Israel from that point through mid-September, effectively stopping new military deliveries that could be used in Gaza.<\/p>\n

But the government continues with existing contracts and broader defense ties remain, showing Germany\u2019s ongoing commitment to Israel\u2019s security. This limited embargo has increased<\/a> criticism both in Germany and abroad, and highlights the widening gap between German public opinion, which points to an increased awareness and empathy for Palestinians \u2013 and largely condemns Israel\u2019s actions as genocide, and official state policy.<\/p>\n

German government stance doesn\u2019t represent public opinion<\/h3>\n

According to the YouGov poll, only 19% of German voters expressed<\/a> positive or somewhat positive views on Israel \u2013 marking a steep decline in recent months, while 62%, across all parties, believe Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. This shift shows there is growing anger over the Israeli occupation\u2019s military actions, and disagreement with the German government\u2019s absolute backing. A poll has also found that<\/a> more than half of Germans support recognising a Palestinian state.<\/p>\n

Al Jazeera\u2019s<\/em> recent documentary\u00a0Germany\u2019s Israel Obsession<\/em><\/a>\u00a0<\/em>shines a light on these tensions, while journalist Antony Loewenstein, draws on his own Jewish heritage, to explore how Germany\u2019s overwhelming focus on combating antisemitism has been used to silence Palestinian solidarity, criminalise activists, and cancel cultural events.<\/p>\n

The result of this Israel obsession is that the space for open discussion and honest debate is getting smaller all the time, and risks Germany moving away from democracy and more towards authoritarianism \u2013 all while hiding behind the excuse of protecting its historical responsibility to the Jewish community.<\/p>\n

_________________________________________<\/em><\/p>\n

Charlie Jaay is a freelance journalist with a special interest in environmental issues and social justice. His work has appeared in publications including<\/em> The Independent, Euronews Green, and<\/em> Morning Star.<\/p>\n

Go to Original \u2013 thecanary.co<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

JOIN THE BDS-BOYCOTT, DIVESTMENT, SANCTIONS CAMPAIGN TO PROTEST THE ISRAELI BARBARIC GENOCIDE OF PALESTINIANS IN GAZA.<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

DON’T BUY PRODUCTS WHOSE BARCODE STARTS WITH <\/em><\/strong>729, WHICH INDICATES THAT THEY ARE PRODUCED IN ISRAEL. DO YOUR PART! MAKE A DIFFERENCE!<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

7 2 9: BOYCOTT FOR HUMAN JUSTICE!<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

28 Sep 2025\u00a0–\u00a0A new YouGov survey shows that most Germans believe Israel is committing genocide. This view challenges their government\u2019s position of unconditional support for the Israeli occupation rooted in Germany\u2019s dark Nazi past.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":304079,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[1268,87,865,739,1988,88,771,1147,959,427],"class_list":["post-304078","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-europe","tag-european-union","tag-gaza","tag-genocide","tag-germany","tag-holocaust","tag-israel","tag-nakba","tag-nazism","tag-neo-nazis","tag-palestine"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/304078","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=304078"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/304078\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":304080,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/304078\/revisions\/304080"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/304079"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=304078"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=304078"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=304078"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}