What challenges will Germany's next leader face?

• Published date: 29 September 2021
• Author: JPOST EDITORIAL

Borne out of horrendous history, today, Germany is one of Israel's strongest allies, and much of the credit for that on the German side can go to outgoing chancellor Angela Merkel, who, after 16 years at the helm, is stepping down.

Although she inherited policies regarding Israel and the Jewish community that had been set up in decades prior – from Holocaust reparations in the early 1950s to arms sales and joint military exercises – the relationship between Israel and Germany reached new heights during Merkel's tenure.

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Merkel visited Israel multiple times and established regular government-to-government cabinet meetings between the two nations which deepened the bilateral relations and cooperation.

Despite disagreements with former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and past Israeli governments on the solution to the conflict with the Palestinians (she remained a strong two-state solution advocate) and Iran's nuclear ambitions (she strongly advocated a diplomatic solution and pact with Tehran), Merkel remained committed to Israel's security. Among the many military deals during her term, Germany has delivered to Israel multiple state-of-the-art navy destroyer ships, funding a third of the $500 million. price tag for the project.

At one of the many speeches she gave at the Knesset, she said that "Israel's security would never be negotiable for Germany, because Germany's historical responsibility is part of the 'reason of state.'"

Gady Gronich of the Conference of European Rabbis told The Jerusalem Post's Jeremy Sharon that under Merkel Israel enjoyed "excellent relations" with the German government, which he said was Israel's most dependable partner.

Likewise, back home, Merkel was intent on making things right with the Jews of Germany and the survivors of the Holocaust. During her tenure, Germany's federal and state governments have all appointed special envoys for monitoring and combating Jew-hatred. Some $26m. was invested in security for German Jewry following the attempted Halle synagogue massacre near Berlin in 2019.

In 2019, her government also allocated an extra $66m. for preservation work at the former Nazi death camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau in Poland. During a visit to the site that year, her first visit as chancellor, Merkel said she felt "deep shame" at what her countrymen had done to Jews before and during the...