By Orit Arfa, Jewish News Syndicate—
Germany’s “traffic light” government, led by new Chancellor Olaf Scholz of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), was sworn in on Wednesday under the banner “dare to make progress.” Jewish leaders, activists and analysts, however, fear that the coalition will make less progress in strengthening Israel-German ties.
The 177-page coalition agreement of the “traffic light” government, named after the colors of the three coalition partners—the red Social Democrats, the Green Party and the yellow Free Democratic Party (FDP)—focuses on promoting climate protection and financial restructuring. It also includes sections on policies relating to Jews and Israel that some say are inconsistent with its oft-repeated proclamations to support Israel and fight anti-Semitism. These include an insistence on negotiating with Iran in its quest for nuclear armament, disdain of Israeli settlements and approval of funding of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).
“It’s quite interesting that a German government that has very important Green Party elements is actually not opposing itself on any nuclearization of Iran,” said Eldad Beck, an analyst of German politics for the Israeli daily Israel Hayom and author of a Hebrew biography of longtime former German Chancellor Angela Merkel. “They’re actually saying Germany shouldn’t be nuclear, and they’re closing down civil nuclear facilities but Iran can have it as it wishes. What is the essence of this contradiction?”
The government has named Annalena Baerbock of the Green Party as foreign minister—the first woman to hold such a position, replacing the SDP’s Heiko Maas, who faced criticism from the pro-Israel camp for seeking to work around the Trump administration’s sanctions on Iran, among other Iran-appeasement measures. Baerbock has talked back her 2018 criticism of submarine sales to Israel and has expressed support for Israel’s right to defend itself during the 11-day conflict with Hamas in May. Continue Reading….
