Germany's absolute support for Israel: a guilt complex or a continuation of guilt?

As usual, Germany is standing on the wrong side of history today, from which it seems that it has not learned the necessary lessons. At a time when Israel is waging the most heinous and bloodiest aggression against the Palestinian people since the Nakba, Germany is increasing its levels of political, military and economic support for Israel, making it a direct or indirect partner in the annihilation of Gaza, the starvation of its population and the prolongation of the war, which raises questions about the real motives behind this support.

German officials often justify this position on the basis of their commitment to Israel’s security, which for them has become a Staatsräson, or “supreme interest of the state,” or even “the raison d’être of the state.” This stems from a sense of guilt over the crimes committed by Nazi Germany against the Jews in the 1930s and 1940s, and even during World War II. But the question here is: Is this sense of guilt/commitment enough to justify unlimited support for Israel’s criminal policies and practices, to the point where the German Foreign Minister justified burning civilians alive in tents set up for the displaced in hospital yards, UNRWA schools, shelters, and elsewhere? These statements encourage Israel to continue its approach, and this is perhaps what led to its actions in the courtyard of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital last week.

Remorse for the Nazi genocide of Jews and other minorities should be a motive to avoid repeating any form of genocide or racism. However, what we see today in terms of German support for Israel in its war against the Palestinians indicates that Germany has not learned the historical lesson that was supposed to establish a categorical rejection of all forms of discrimination and racism. On the contrary, this support reflects, to some extent, the rise of racism and hatred towards immigrants and Muslims within German society, a phenomenon that has been increasing in recent years, reminiscent of the rise of racism in Germany in the 1930s.

It is clear that Germany has not yet rid itself of its historical legacy of racism, but this racism has taken on new forms. Under the cover of supporting Israel under the pretext of fighting anti-Semitism, Germany hides the rise of hatred of Muslims (“Islamophobia”) within the joints of German society and its official institutions.

In our Arab region, the Arab peoples have not historically held a grudge against Germany, as it did not have a direct colonial role in the region. However, Germany’s absolute support for Israel is increasingly causing resentment in the Arab street and distorting its image, which was once exemplary, which will inevitably affect Germany’s relations with the Arab peoples, its commercial interests, and its position in the long term.

In addition, Germany itself suffers internally from the impact of this support on its democratic values. The restrictions imposed on protest movements and peaceful expression of opinion under the pretext of “fighting anti-Semitism” are damaging German democracy, which has long been one of the country’s most proud values.

Germany, which introduced the world to the philosophers of rationalism and enlightenment, and played a pivotal role in establishing the rules of international law and creating its institutions, including international courts, finds itself today in a position that contradicts its values and the principles it has adopted over the past decades, which requires a profound review. Germany is required to seriously reconsider its positions on Palestine, especially with regard to unconditional support for Israel, which has become more blatant after the events of October 7.

After the end of World War II and the fall of the Nazi regime, the Germans wondered how they had supported the atrocities of the Nazi regime. The day may come when the Germans will wake up from the state of blind support for Israel, which may in the future be viewed as another painful chapter in Germany's modern history.