BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — Pressure is building on Germany to join steps to sanction Israel over the Gaza war, sparking heated debate in a country that has long been at pains to atone for the Holocaust.
Berlin, a steadfast supporter of Israel in the post-World War II era, has grown increasingly isolated as many of its Western allies have recognized a Palestinian state.
While they have universally condemned the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas that started Israel’s war on the terrorist organization in Gaza, many now argue that Israel’s military response has been disproportionate, with no end in sight.
This week in Europe, all eyes will again be on Germany and whether it will oppose EU plans to sanction Israel over its Gaza campaign.
“Germany is under increasing pressure from several directions,” said Mariam Salehi, a researcher in international politics at Berlin’s Free University.
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“It is coming from political partners within the European Union… but also from civil society within Germany and internationally.”
A Palestinian flag (R) is seen next a flag of Israel (L) during a demonstration under the motto ‘Draw the red line with us: Together for Gaza!’ in the center of Berlin on September 27, 2025. (RALF HIRSCHBERGER / AFP)
Questioning support for Israel has long been a huge taboo in Germany, given the Nazis’ murder of six million Jews during the Holocaust.
Former chancellor Angela Merkel described Israel’s national security as part of Germany’s “Staatsraeson” — an enduring core state interest that trumps other political considerations.
Given that history, it came as a shock to many when her former foreign and security policy adviser Christoph Heusgen late last month also suggested a change of course.
Heusgen, who also served as Germany’s ambassador to the UN, warned that Israel risked becoming an “apartheid state” if it continues its policies in Gaza and the West Bank and called on Berlin to recognize a Palestinian state.
‘Never again’
Remembrance of the Nazis’ atrocities and the theme “never again” have long been central features of German politics, but many critics argue it is time to reassess what that phrase really means.
“As it is currently interpreted, [Germany’s] responsibility is assumed towards the state of Israel, but it could also be interpreted differently,” Salehi said.
Participants display a banner reading ‘One genocide does not justify another’ as they gather during a demonstration under the motto ‘Draw the red line with us: Together for Gaza!’ in front of the Red City Hall (Rotes Rathaus) in Berlin on September 27, 2025. (RALF HIRSCHBERGER / AFP)
“It could be seen as the responsibility towards international law, the international rules-based order, the promise that genocide must never happen again.” Israel has denied all accusations of genocide.
As the Gaza war has ground on, Germany has stepped up criticism of Israel over the humanitarian situation in Gaza, and Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced in August that Berlin was going to restrict weapons sales to Israel.
That move was cheered by many on the left but sparked outcry on the right, especially from his conservative CDU’s Bavarian sister party the CSU.
“We are serving a narrative of perpetrator-victim reversal in Israel, which in my view does not do justice to the overall situation,” said CSU foreign policy expert Stefan Mayer.
The influential German-Israeli Society, meanwhile, called the decision “a victory for Hamas in the global propaganda war.”
‘End this hell’
Germany has avoided calling the Israeli offensive in Gaza a “genocide,” even after a United Nations panel probe used the term.
Berlin has also made it clear that Germany currently has no plans to recognize a Palestinian state, unlike France, Britain, Australia, Canada and other Western allies.
French President Emmanuel Macron, left, with Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer pose at a hotel prior to an E3 meeting on the sidelines of the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, June 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, Pool
As the EU weighs curbing trade ties with Israel and sanctioning individual ministers, critics argue the time has come for more concrete action.
Historian Rene Wildangel said that Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul in his address to the UN General Assembly had “rightly noted that Gaza is ‘hell on earth.’”
“Yet Germany is doing far too little to end this hell,” he said, demanding that “Germany must no longer turn a blind eye to this.”
Many Germans agree, and pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel protests have grown bigger and bolder in recent months, reflecting a shift in the public mood.
On Saturday, tens of thousands of demonstrators marched through the streets of Berlin demanding that Israel end its military campaign in Gaza.
Participants display a placard with the lettering ‘Jews Against Genocide’ as people march during a demonstration under the motto ‘Draw the red line with us: Together for Gaza!’ in Berlin on September 27, 2025. (RALF HIRSCHBERGER / AFP)
According to a poll by public broadcaster ZDF, 76 percent of German voters believe that Israel’s military action in the Gaza Strip is unjustified.
A YouGov poll released this week showed that 62 percent of German voters believe Israel’s actions in Gaza constitute genocide.
Merz has said Germany will present its position on the sanctions at an EU Council meeting starting on October 1 in Copenhagen.
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