Number: RL33808
Title: Germany's Relations with Israel: Background and Implications for German Middle East Policy
Authors: Paul Belkin, Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division 
Abstract: Most observers agree that moral considerations surrounding the Holocaust continue to compel German leaders to make support for Israel a policy priority. Since 1949, successive German governments have placed this support at the forefront of their Middle East policy and today, Germany, along with the United States, is widely considered one of Israel's closest allies. Germany ranks as Israel's second largest trading partner and long-standing defense and scientific cooperation, people-topeople exchanges and cultural ties between the two countries continue to grow. On the other hand, public criticism of Israel in Germany, and particularly of its policies with regard to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, appears to be on the rise.
Pages: 16
Date: January 19, 2007