projected chancellor CDU leader Friedrich Merz support of Israel
In a political atmosphere in which standing by Israel becomes increasingly difficult and rare, Merz’s clear and continued support of the Jewish state shines as a light in the darkness
While the last CDU chancellor, Angela Merkel, defined Israel’s existence and security as being part of Germany’s “raison d’état” Merz upgraded this definition
In a speech at the Bundestag in May 2023 on the occasion of Israel’s 75 Independence Day, Merz declared:
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"The right of the State of Israel to exist and its security are part of the inviolable and indispensable core of the policy of the Federal Republic of Germany and of all our state institutions”
During a special debate at the Bundestag commemorating the first anniversary of the October 7 attacks, Merz – as leader of the opposition – attacked the German center-left government of Olaf Scholz for freezing the export of weapons to Israel, forcing Scholz to unfreeze the export
Merz stressed in his speech,
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“there should be no cracks in the solidarity with Israel when Israel does what it needs to defend itself”
Mertz vehemently criticized what he called, 1. the antisemitic, anti-Israel positions of the German Left 2. expressed especially in art and cultural institutions and events
Merz also insisted that one way to efficiently fight the spread of antisemitism in Germany would be to stop the massive immigration of young men from Arab and Muslim countries
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“where the elimination of the State of Israel and not its defense, is part of the socialization”
