Cause for concern in Germany
Shimon Stein, Israel's outgoing ambassador to Berlin, is worried by the growing trend in Germany to question Israel's right to exist
It was frustrating, he said, mainly because "though we invested much effort in an attempt to explain the situation in Israel and why we react the way we do to the Germans, we scored an unimpressive success, to say the least."
Stein is not optimistic at all. "I watched with great concern how the German's public view of Israel eroded," he said. "If public opinion polls are any indication of prevailing moods, I cannot forget the survey that the EU held in 2003, where Germany stood out as a country that feels Israel and the United States are the biggest threat to world peace. That poll pointed at a symptom of a general attitude that has taken root over the past few years in Germany. I am not saying that it is not legitimate to criticize Israel, but I have a problem with the tone of that criticism. In recent years, a question concerning the legitimacy of Israel clearly surfaced."
Cause for Concern
Stein's remarks definitely cast doubt on the recurring statements by Jerusalem policymakers that Germany is one of Israel's most important allies, second only to the United States, and our best friend in the EU. These statements are certainly worth revisiting. Polls published in recent years in Germany show a constant decline in the German public opinion of Israel. Actually, the Germans' attitude toward Israel is presently one of the worst in Europe. More than 50% of the Germans consider Israel the greatest threat to world peace, and more than one-third of them frequently compare Israeli activities in the territories with Nazi crimes committed against the Jews.
Do you believe that this negative attitude toward Israel is merely based on passing public moods, or is it something deeper?
"I assume that for as long as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict remains a major component of the way Israel is viewed by the German public, we will encounter difficulties. I feel that Europe and Germany is an island, disconnected from its surroundings. Germany has been living in peace with its neighbors for the past 60 years and no longer believes that war is a means of changing realities. It is also raising the banner of human rights. Our attempts to ask the Germans to walk a mile in our shoes encountered great difficulties.
"On top of that, we are not perceived as Westerners in certain places here. There are people in certain areas who are not aware of the fact that Israel is a democracy fighting for its right to exist. They are also tired of waiting for so many years for a solution to the Middle East conflict. This calls on us to reconsider the way we are going to deal with our European interlocutors in the future."
The Iranian threat
Israel is rather disappointed with Berlin's stand on the Iranian issue. The German Foreign Ministry is in no hurry, to say the least, to impose sanctions on Tehran, while other German bodies keep encouraging investments there.
Stein shares this disappointment. "Speaking of Iran," he stressed, "it is the result that matters. The result we are all committed to is preventing Iran from attaining a nuclear capability. I believe we succeeded in making the Germans and Europeans understand that this is not just an Israeli problem, that it is a global threat. The problem is that the Germans perceive the Iranian threat as merely theoretic and it is hard to make them feel that an Iranian atom bomb might have far-reaching global consequences."
The German reactions to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's statements and Holocaust denial did not satisfy Stein either. The German government condemned them, but did not bother to recall its ambassador from Tehran. "One could have expected more outspoken condemnations," he said. "I even expected them to take practical steps, which they did not."
Is it possible that we are wrong to assume that Germany is a reliable ally of Israel?
"In recent years, German governments have consistently declared their support for Israel's right to exist and to security. There is also continuity in terms of German support for us in EU frameworks. This, however, is overshadowed by the negative shift in the public opinion. The past seven years were the continuation of a trend of declining support for Israel, which started in the 1980s. Still, just to put things back in proportion, there has always been a gap between the German policymakers and public, so we should not be overstating our uniqueness."
How do you view the debate on the German's right to criticize Israel?
"It is an artificial debate. Israel was severely criticized as early as the in late 1960s, when the Germans sympathized with various national liberation movements, including the Palestinians', and some of them regarded Israel as an agent of Western imperialism. Criticism leveled at Israel is legitimate as long as it is constructive. It becomes illegitimate when it demonizes Israel; when it equates Israel's policies with Nazi crimes; when it sets different moral standards for Israel and for the rest of the world; and when it questions Israel's very right to exist as a Jewish state. We have seen all of that in recent years."
It is hard to avoid the term 'anti-Semitism' in this context.
"That is true. Things do fall under the title of anti-Semitism because a distinction between the Jewish and Israeli public and other publics is based on anti-Semitism. It is discrimination against racial, political, or social background."
Is anti-Semitism evident in Germany today more than in the past?
"In the past, we have seen polls according to which, latent anti-Semitism prevails among some 20% of the German public. This is not a new phenomenon, but rather an ongoing frame of mind. Political success that neo-Nazi groups have been scoring here shows that the phenomenon is expanding. Some polls showed that certain parts of the German public view Jews through stereotypes such as those presented in 'The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.'
"Jews are viewed as agents of globalization, and when that does not benefit the German public, we have a problem. In times of anxiety, confusion, and fear, people always look for a scapegoat. Anti-Semitism exists all over Europe and permeates Western civilization, wherever it is. We watch German through a magnifying glass because of its past."
