Between Past Crimes and Present Duties

The legacy of the Holocaust hangs like a cloud over German-Israeli relations.

No one will ever forget that the Nazis slaughtered millions of European Jews in their concentration camps.

Most of the Nazi perpetrators have long since died. The Second World War ended in 1945 and since then, generations of Germans have been born who were not directly involved in Nazi atrocities.

They do not share the guilt for what their fathers and grandfathers did, but being Germans, they share the responsibility.

German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer (photo) has pointed out time and again that this special relationship with Israel has top priority for Germany. And he's made clear that this will not change as long as he determines the course of German foreign policy.

Open words among partners

Federal President Johannes Rau on Friday summed up Germany's special relations with Israel in a radio interview: Yes, Germany has a special responsibility for Israel, its security and its right to exist, he said. But he added that Germany still should be able to openly criticize steps the Israeli government was taking on occasion. "This can be a better token of friendship than remaining silent," Rau said.

That view is shared across party lines in Germany.

Openness towards Israel is a prerequisite, says Hermann Gröhe, a conservative German MP. He thinks Germany's tone towards Israel is sometimes too soft: "We are friends of Israel, but among friends you have to be frank," Gröhe argues.

Jenin – A "massacre" or "peerlessly humane"?

The events in Ramallah, Bethlehem and especially in the Jenin refugee camp have now added new urgency to the debate in Germany.

How far can German criticism of Israel go? Was Jenin a justified reaction to Palestinian terrorist attacks, a legitimate way of preventing new suicide bombings?

Israel's assault on Jenin was the fiercest battle of the 22-day-old West Bank offensive. Israeli forces began to withdraw from the refugee camp on Thursday.

They allowed UN Middle East envoy Terje Roed-Larsen to visit the location, which had been completely sealed off during the operation. Larsen said the refugee camp has been "completely flattened" and resembles the scene of an earthquake. He spoke of numerous casualties.

"This is not in the security interest of Israel, it is the opposite," Larsen said after visiting Jenin. "The most important terrorist infrastructure is in the psychology and in the mind.

"What has been produced here is a very strong terrorist infrastructure, because the hatred and the aggression against Israel and Israelis has reached a new peak."

Before the assault began two weeks ago, Jenin was home to some 13,000 Palestinian refugees. Now, most houses have been destroyed and the survivors are digging through the rubble to find what's left of their belongings. Palestinians say Israeli forces massacred at least 500 people in the camp.

Israel's Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer vehemently denied that charge, saying there had been less than 45 deaths. An Israeli military spokesman said the Jenin operation had succeeded in preventing a series of imminent suicide attacks on Israelis.

But UN envoy Terje Roed-Larsen accused Israel's army of using morally repugnant means during its assault on the Jenin refugee camp. "This is a sad and disgraceful chapter in the history of the State of Israel," he said.

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Germany offers humanitarian aid

German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer appealed to Israel to give international aid organizations access to the Jenin refugee camp. He said the German government was ready to contribute to the relief effort and supply humanitarian help.

Fischer said Germany supported any political initiative that would end the spiral of violence in the Middle East. And he reiterated that a "third party" should help bringing the conflict to an end. According to Fischer, the U.S. should lead that "third party", but it should also include Russia, the European Union, the UN and moderate Arab countries.

German peacekeepers in Israel?

Earlier this week, German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder (photo) floated the idea of a UN peace force for the Middle East with German participation.

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan is strongly in favor of a multi-national force for the region. But Gerhard Schröder quickly had to retract his offer to send German soldiers as part of that force. It had drawn heavy criticism at home. And the vocal opposition wasn't based on the financial constraints the Bundeswehr is under or personnel problems.

The reason to shelve that part of the plan was – again – the legacy of the Holocaust. Germany's Central Council of Jews pointed out that it would be traumatic for Holocaust survivors to see armed German soldiers patrolling in Israel.

It will never be normal

Regardless of which stand the German government takes in the Middle East conflict, its words and actions will always be closely monitored – both within the country and abroad.

According to German MP Hermann Gröhe, Arab and Islamic countries complain that Germany is too soft-spoken in criticizing Israel. The Arab world accuses Germany of "double standards", he says, when it comes to pointing the finger at Israeli human rights violations.

Israel and Jewish organizations in Germany, on the other hand, worry about increasing sympathies among the Germans for the Palestinians. They say that German media have been covering the Middle East conflict with a pro-Palestinian bias. And they detect a mood swing in public opinion, which they fear could lead to rising anti-Semitism.

Which ever position Germany takes vis-a-vis Israel – the words of Yohanan Meroz, a former Israeli ambassador to Germany, still hold true: relations between the two countries are excellent, Meroz said, but they can never be "normal".