Israel-Germany: A 70-year relationship going from strength to strength
The deep understanding between Israel and Germany flourished especially during the long reign of Angela Merkel
Dark shadows notwithstanding, Israel enjoys a unique relationship with Germany. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Jerusalem and Berlin, the ties between the two countries have grown in strength, both at the diplomatic level and in the commercial and military realms. Many bilateral agreements have been signed in the areas of security, justice, economy, science and culture. Israel's security and right to exist represent the cornerstones of German foreign policy.
On Thursday, Chancellor Olaf Scholz held a meeting with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Berlin, where the two discussed issues including the Iranian threat and the judicial overhaul that sparked off protests in Israel.
Yet it all began on September 10, 1952, when the reparations agreements were signed in Luxembourg, following negotiations between the Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion, World Jewish Congress Secretary General Nahum Goldmann, and the West German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer.
The Israeli-German friendship began in earnest on March 14, 1960, when Adenauer and Ben-Gurion met in New York. Together they discussed mutual endeavors and building a relationship. For the first time since the end of WWII, the two countries were committed to working together.
An establishment of full diplomatic relations followed on May 12, 1965. In response, several Arab countries, including Iraq, Egypt, Jordan and Syria threatened to break off their diplomatic relations with West Germany.
Ten years later, on September 5, 1972, the Munich Olympic massacre unfolded, where 11 Israeli athletes were murdered by Palestinian terrorists. One of the tragedy's consequences was the creation of the GSG-9, a German police unit intended to respond to emergency situations. 50 years later, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier apologized for the gross mishandling of the hostage crisis.
Another landmark was reached on June 7, 1973. Chancellor Willy Brandt became the first West German head of government to embark on an official trip to Israel, a visit which will be reciprocated in 1975, when Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin became the first Israeli head of government to pay an official visit to West Germany.
The ties were further upgraded in 1999, with the meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Chancellor Gerhard Schröder focusing on the peace process in the Middle East. A new chapter in bilateral relations opened in 2008 with the setting up of the first German-Israeli intergovernmental consultations.
The deep understanding between Israel and Germany flourished especially during the long reign of Angela Merkel, who established a warm relationship with her Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu. Speaking before the Israeli Parliament, she went as far as to affirm that "Israel's security represents a raison d'état for Germany," a concept in statecraft and jurisprudence typically referring to the primacy of a nation's self-interest; Merkel extended it to apply to Israel in an extraordinary gesture. Showing her attachment to Israel, she visited the country eight times during her sixteen years in power.