Though it has been two days since Israel's parliamentary elections, German politicians are still being cautious to respond, as it is still unclear who will lead the new government. Although the right-wing bloc including religious hardliners led by incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is ahead of the opposition bloc led by former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, neither has a clear path to a governing majority in the Knesset. Forming a coalition government is likely to be extremely difficult.
Martin Giese, spokesperson for German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, declined to comment at Wednesday's regular government press conference in Berlin. but he did stress that Germany has been in contact with numerous officials and politicians in Israel via Germany's ambassador. "The Jewish state and Germany are inextricably linked by our history, and we will do everything we can to work well with any future government," Wadephul said.
One concern for the German government is providing aid to the people in Gaza, and protracted coalition negotiations could delay necessary progress.
"Winter is coming, and it will be difficult," Development Minister Reem Alabali Radovan, currently visiting Lebanon, warned in an interview with Politico. She underlined that there must be more opportunities for aid organizations to provide crucial assistance in Gaza — and that it cannot wait for coalition negotiations.
In interviews with DW and broadcaster RTL, she spoke about the recent increase in attacks by Israeli settlers in the West Bank and east Jerusalem on Palestinian residents: "The radical settler violence must be stopped. The Netanyahu government remains in office on an interim basis, and this means that this situation must still be brought to an end." All settlement activity in the occupied Palestinian territories is considered illegal under international law.
Relations between Germany and Israel have long been particularly close — in part due to Germany's historical responsibility for the murder of millions of European Jews during the Nazi era. Recently, however, the German government has distanced itself from Netanyahu's policies, at least in its public rhetoric.
Most recently, Wadephul said after a major Israeli military operation near the city of Hebron: "Under international law, Israel is quite clearly obligated to uphold and protect the rights of Palestinians as well." Around 3,000 Palestinians were driven from their homes during the operation, which followed the reported killing of two Israeli soldiers by Palestinians.
In Berlin, there has long been speculation about whether Germany's policy toward Israel might change after the election. So far, one thing is clear: Unlike numerous other countries, including some in Europe, Germany does not intend to recognize a Palestinian state for the time being.
At the same time, Germany hopes that the future government will no longer include religious extremist, and in some cases far-right, politicians such as the current Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.
"I think it would be best for Israel to form a government that is closer to the center of the political spectrum," Jürgen Hardt, foreign policy expert for the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in the Bundestag, told DW. "Of course, that's something the people — and above all, the elected politicians — will have to figure out. But it's encouraging that so many people participated in the election."
The Arab-majority parties led by Palestinian citizens of Israel made big gains in this election. They are usually classified as part of the current opposition camp. Many analysts have noted that the historic results by these parties could lead them to play a kingmaker role in coalition formation.
However, Netanyahu’s bloc and various parties have ruled out working with the Arab-majority parties. Eisenkot's bloc has not stated whether it would be willing to form such a coalition, but one of the Arab-majority parties, United Arab List, featured a Jewish candidate, and has stated its willingness to work with Eisenkot’s bloc to unseat Netanyahu.
Hardt believes a minority government led by Eisenkot and supported by parties representing Arab Israelis is conceivable. "The major campaign carried out by Netanyahu's camp, aimed primarily against Arab Israelis, greatly mobilized the opposition, to the point where his camp no longer has a majority." The vice president of the German Bundestag, Green Party politician Omid Nouripour, told DW. "Frankly, after all the turmoil that has occurred — for example, regarding judicial reform — this is good news for Israeli democracy."
