Germany's Dilemma: Berlin's Support for Israel Is Damaging Its International Standing
DER SPIEGELApr 05
German Foreign Minister Urges Prudence to Avoid Escalation in Middle East
The Facts
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock called on Wednesday for prudence and responsibility in the Middle East to prevent the region from sliding into an unpredictable situation.
This comes as she wrapped up her seventh visit to Israel since Oct. 7, now as part of renewed diplomatic efforts to avoid a regional conflict after Iran launched its first-ever direct attack on Israel over the weekend.
The Spin
Establishment-critical narrative
It's no coincidence that Berlin, one of the world's staunchest supporters of Israel, has grown critical of its ally — at least rhetorically — as its own international reputation is now at stake due to the humanitarian situation in Gaza as well as concerns related to international law. Germany is merely trying to limit the damage to its diplomatic stature.
Pro-establishment narrative
That many partners of Germany — plus the far-right and the left domestically — dislike its pro-Israel stance hardly comes as a surprise, but claims that the country has grown critical only now are dead wrong. If Berlin was too permissive with any country in the Middle East, that one is Iran as Germany refused to list its Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terror group.
Nerd narrative
There's a 15% chance that Israel will carry out a deadly attack within Iran before May 1, 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.