This interview was conducted on focuses on the economic cooperation between Germany and Israel.
German-Israeli relations are inevitably linked to the dark period of National Socialism, which culminated in the Shoah. Both economic and military relations with Israel are regarded in Germany as an expression of a special historical responsibility and political Staatsräson.
Since October 7, 2023, and the wars that followed, Israel has increasingly been at the center of public, political, and academic debates. These discussions are not limited to foreign and security policy issues, but increasingly address economic interdependencies, institutional cooperation, and societal responsibility. They are also accompanied by international legal proceedings as well as criminal allegations and investigations in an international context.
These controversies have led parts of German civil society to call for a boycott or for restrictions on economic, academic, or scientific cooperation with Israeli institutions and actors. Other voices, as well as parts of the political landscape, warn against broadly transferring political conflicts to economic, research, or exchange relations, and continue to uphold the principle of Staatsräson. European Relations does not adopt the views expressed in the interview. The interview is intended to contribute to the contextualization and discussion of a politically and socially controversial field.
