By Hebh Jamal

 

As Germany deepens arms cooperation with Israel, its professed commitment to human rights & 'concern' for Palestinians rings hollow, writes Hebh Jamal.

 

The German chancellor Friedrich Merz posted on X a photo of himself with Netanyahu – who is wanted by the ICC for war crimes in Gaza – with a heartfelt message to him and the Israeli people: “I wish for the Israeli people that, after years of terror and war, a better time will dawn. Germany will stand by your side in friendship.”

 

The post comes after a visit to Jerusalem on Sunday and a joint press conference between Merz and Netanyahu to reaffirm Germany’s commitment to Israel “Germany must stand up for the existence and security of Israel” he said.

 

A meeting of this nature would assume it was Israel who experienced a full-fledged genocide for the last two years and their people are the ones languishing in makeshift tents after nearly every building in Gaza was obliterated, and not the Palestinian people.

 

Just some weeks ago, Germany announced it will resume arms exports to Israel after a so-called pause in August due to international human rights violations. Allegedly, Merz was “profoundly concerned about the continued suffering” of the people in the Gaza strip.

 

However, not all deliveries were halted, and in fact those with existing contracts would not be impacted by the ban. The following month in July, over €2 million in military equipment were reportedly given government approval to be shipped to Israel.

 

And now, not only had Germany resumed arms exports following a pathetic partial suspension, but it signed a $4.5bn deal for an Israeli-made missile defence shield. The largest arms exports agreements in Israeli history.

 

How is it that Germany approved its largest arms export agreement just months after professing deep concern for Palestinian safety, especially as Israel continues to violate the ceasefire? Upon observation, there is in fact a consistent pattern that highlights that the German government’s commitment to international law is simply performative.

 

Germany invokes legal and moral principles rhetorically, even as it deliberately undermines them to preserve its so-called Reason of State.

 

 

 

 

The Reason of State or Staatsräson is Germany’s political doctrine declared by former chancellor Angela Merkel to the Israeli Knesset in 2008. There she said that Germany will safeguard Israel’s security and make it a core national interest – similarly to what Merz reaffirmed just last weekend. Time and time again, the German Staatsräson overrides any political or legal considerations and is invoked continuously when referencing Israeli crimes.

 

Routinely, pro-Palestinian activists are met with harsh criminalisation, police violence, and invasive raids simply for opposing Germany’s complicity in war crimes, despite full awareness of the scale of destruction in Gaza.

 

Just recently a German scientific institution, the Max Planck Institute, published a study in which researchers analyse the human toll of the genocide and estimated that the real death count in Gaza is over 100,000. They also showed that life expectancy fell by 44% in 2023 and 47% in 2024, equivalent to the loss of 34 and 36 years.

 

Even with all this knowledge on the extent of Israeli war crimes against the Palestinian people, Germany refuses to end its complicity.

 

Even Max Planck Institute, the very institution that pushed such studies proving a genocide, has strong deep and longstanding institutional ties with Israel spanning far beyond simple academic exchange. They receive millions from the federal government to fund collaboration programs and there was even a call from researchers within the institute to end its unconditional support for Israel. A call that fell on deaf ears.

 

 

 

 

The occasional criticism from institutions like Max Planck and political actors like Merz must not be mistaken for a real diversion from the Staatsräson. Now more than ever Germany will attempt to strengthen its ties with Israel and will continue to reiterate their commitment to the settler colony.

 

Germany is now scrambling to strengthen its armed forces after years of struggling to recruit enough soldiers and volunteers. For the first time since conscription was suspended in 2011, the government is preparing a “needs-based conscription” model that the Bundestag could vote on if recruitment targets cannot be met.

 

After World War II, expressions of German nationalism were heavily discouraged, and the new Federal Republic adopted an anti-militarist political culture: Germany was barred from having an army until 1955, and even after the Bundeswehr was created, it remained tightly constrained in size, mandate, and deployment.

 

Today, however, as Germany rapidly increases the Bundeswehr’s budget and seeks to rebuild its military capacity, you will see Merz and the German political elite consistently invoke the Staatsräson during this country’s intentional shift to somehow prove they are not returning to militarism and fascism.

 

Commitment to Israel is not some moral predicament for the state. We know they are painfully aware of their complicity in war crimes. Instead, commitment to Israel will be reinforced in order for Germany to fulfil their geopolitical goals and re-enter the world stage as a European power once again.  Thus, we will see more attempts to further Israeli collaborations on every institutional and political level, and more and more money and weapons being sent to Israel while paying the occasional lip service to international law and a commitment to the two state solution.

 

And us, the annoying Palestinians and pro-Palestinian citizens and residents, will face the brunt of state repression. There will continue to be attempts to stop movements and activists infringing on the country’s military objectives. We will continue to be arrested, face fines and court hearings for demanding a free Palestine. And we will undoubtedly be censored from educational institutions for holding convictions that challenge the damned Staatsräson.

 

 

 

 

Hebh Jamal is a Palestinian American journalist based in Germany. 

 

 

 

 

Opinions expressed in this article remain those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The New Arab's editorial team or ANA's staff.  - (ANA) - 

 

AB/ANA/11 December 2025 - - -