BERLIN 

More than 150 Middle East experts have urged a fundamental shift Thursday in Germany's approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, urging Berlin to abandon its policy of unconditional support for Israel.

The experts stressed that Germany should abandon its "Staatsraison" (reason of state) doctrine and instead base its Middle East policy on international law, the German constitution, and a broader understanding of historical responsibility.

The experts acknowledged in a position paper that Berlin has historical responsibility for Jews due to the Shoah, the murder of millions of Jews during Nazi Germany, but emphasized that the responsibility should not be misinterpreted as requiring unconditional support for all actions of the Israeli government, particularly in light of war crimes in the Gaza Strip.

“Support for Israel to atone for the Shoah cannot be seen in isolation from its indirect effects on third parties, nor from Germany's wider historic record in committing or abetting genocides and other crimes against humanity,” experts said.​​​​​​​ 

“Germany has a universal historic responsibility to uphold international law and protect human rights without discrimination. Selectively accepting historic responsibility means choosing complacency over decency at the expense not only of Palestinian rights, but also of the long-term interests of Israel and of the Jewish people, as well as Germany's international credibility,” they said.

The paper was initiated by a core team around Middle East experts Philip Holzapfel, Daniel Gerlach and Muriel Asseburg, with support from specialists in international law, political science and diplomacy. Among the approximately 170 signatories were genocide researcher Omer Bartov, Middle East expert Kristin Helberg, author Charlotte Wiedemann, former EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and former Israeli ambassador Ilan Baruch.

The policy paper urged Berlin to reaffirm international law as the foundation of its foreign policy, prioritize peace efforts based on equal rights and recognize the State of Palestine within the 1967 borders without further delay.

The experts emphasized that Germany should comply with its legal obligations under the Genocide Convention and halt weapons exports to Israel.

They also recommended suspending the EU-Israel Association Agreement and imposing a ban on Israeli settlement products at the European level.