JJP lobbies German Ambassador about the Staatsräson
On 7July 2025, JJP wrote to the German Ambassador in London about the German “Staatsräson” of unconditional support for Israeli security, as it relates to Israel’s war on Gaza. The moral contradiction of the Staatsräson is now unsustainable. Germany should now decisively choose Article 1 of its Basic Law as it guiding principle, and treat Israel in accordance with that.
We also updated the data on Palestinian casualties in Gaza that we sent to the embassy in our letter of 2 June.
Our letter
His Exellency Mr Miguel Berger 7 July 2025
Ambassador, Embassy of Germany
Dear Ambassador Berger,
We are writing to seek a meeting to discuss the German “Staatsräson” as it relates to Israel’s war on Gaza. We know you have a deep knowledge of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians through your stints as Representative to the PA in Ramallah and later as MENA director in Berlin.
As by far the largest and economically strongest member of the European Union, Germany has a unique leadership responsibility. That should encompass ethical as well as economic and defence issues, as is made clear by Article 1 of the Federal Republic of Germany’s Basic Law, adopted in 1949. Article 1 is a noble commitment, a pledge of atonement to become a decent member of the international community.
However, Germany’s non-negotiable “Staatsräson” of protecting Israel’s security above all else creates a potential, fundamental contradiction with Article 1. (We wrote to the Embassy on 12 July last year about the “Staatsräson” in relation to the ICJ case that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.) The Staatsräson depends for its moral consistency on Israel acting with the decency articulated in Article 1.
Unfortunately, Israel has often not done that. From its wars of choice in 1956 and 1967, to its long occupation of Palestinian land starting in 1967 and its escalating repression of Palestinian resistance, to its several bombing attacks on Gaza before 2023, Israeli governments have often acted unjustly.
That has reached a peak in the 21 months of war in Gaza. That the Hamas attack on Israeli civilians on 7th October 2023 was a war crime and a crime against humanity, did not give Israel license to flout the principles of proportionality and discrimination in its pursuit of Hamas. Since about March of 2024, all authoritative scholars of genocide, the holocaust and international relations who have spoken out have concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.1
The moral contradiction of the Staatsräson is now unsustainable. When the International Court of Justice finally rules that Israel commited genocide in Gaza (we believe that is when, not if), those countries that did nothing effective to stop Israel will stand accused of complicity with genocide. Germany will be in the worst position of all if it continues to apply tthe Staatsräson. It will be concluded that Germany has been protecting Israel while Israel commits genocide, instead of protecting inalienable human rights, peace and justice as its Basic Law mandates.
That would be a tragic conclusion to the many years of carfeul German work embedding human rights in German society.
Chancellor Merz and the junior coalition partners tentatively stepped back from this abyss in a number of public comments in late May. That was, however, short lived. Germany was in the minority voting against reviewing the EU-Israel Association Agreement because of Israel’s actions in Gaza. The review concluded that Israel was breaching the human rights clause of the Agreement. Germany has the opportunity to redeem itself at the next meeting of the Council of Ministers on 15 July.
We urge your government to take the lead to work with other member states to use the qualified majority voting system to suspend those parts of the Association Agreement that provide Israel with substantial material benefits. Pre-eminent among them is the tariff-free status of Israeli imports into the EU. We also urge your government to stop all weapons export to Israel. It is clear from experience that very strong action, of this severity, will be necessary to compel Israel to change course.
Germany would earn universal respect if the German government were now to decisively choose Article 1 of its Basic Law as it guiding principle, and treat Israel in accordance with that.
I hope to hear from your ofice shortly to arrange a meeting.
Yours sincerely,
Arthur Goodman
Parliamentary and Diplomatic Officer
Annex
This annex updates the data on Palestinian casualties in Gaza that we sent to Dr. Karstens in our letter of 2 June.
The weekly United Nations OCHA reports, Gaza Strip Humanitarian Situation Updates, show the rate of killing and wounding has steadily and considerably increased since the joint Canadian-UK-French statement was issued on 19 May. There was an average of 90 deaths and 336 injuries per day in the week ending 2 July, increases of 65% and 117% above the rate in the two months before 19 May.2
A big part of this increase has been due to the Israeli-American Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). OCHA Update 300 states ”Mass casualties have continued to be reported daily over the past 30 days, after non-UN militarized distribution sites started to operate in Gaza, as people approached or gathered near these sites or waited on routes designated by the Israeli authorities for the UN to collect trucks carrying aid.” “The majority of the casualties have been shot or shelled trying to reach US-Israeli distribution sites purposefully set up in militarized zones.”3 OCHA Update 302 reports 640 people were killed and 4,488 injured in those circumstances.4
Replacing the near 400 former UN aid distribution sites with four GHF sites, only two of which are typically open at any one time, has inevitably caused the repeated crush of people desperate for food. Moreover, as the opening times are unpredictable, people start going to the sites in early morning darkness in the hope of getting some aid.
The Israeli army always says the troops felt threatened by the crush. The troops supposedly fire warning shots above the crowd, but scores of people are mysteriously shot – not only by rifle fire but also by mortars, heavy machine guns or tank fire. The army says it will investigate, time and time again.
We know from Haaretz that much of the firing at people is deliberate, and from the Financial Times that Israel commissioned a financial model for relocating hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from the strip. This is a Kafkaesque system designed to break the will of the Palestinians to remain on their land, in furtherance of the expressed wish of important Israeli government ministers to empty Gaza of its population.5,6
All this makes it clear how contemptuous the Israeli government is for the lives of Palestinians, as it is for countries that demand respect for their lives.
Notes
1. https://jfjfp.com/voices/paper-on-legal-characterisation-of-israeli-assault-on-gaza/
2. Our updated spreadsheet making these calculations based on the OCHA data is also attached to our email.
4. https://www.ochaopt.org/content/humanitarian-situation-update-302-gaza-strip
6. https://www.ft.com/content/c0e661cc-55db-4e2a-b17b-a656e0cf6c14