Merz: Criticism of Israel sometimes pretext for anti-Semitism

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has condemned "criticism of Israel" when it serves as a pretext for anti-Semitism.

Criticism of the Israeli government must be possible, and he himself has recently voiced such criticism, Merz said at an event hosted by the Central Council of Jews in Berlin.

"But our country harms its own soul when this criticism becomes a pretext for hatred of Jews – or when it even leads to demands that the Federal Republic turn away from Israel," Merz said.

"Germany's commitment to the existence and security of the State of Israel is a non-negotiable part of the normative foundations of our country."

Merz expressed his continued shock and shame over anti-Semitism in Germany, which he said has become louder, more open, more brazen, and more violent since the Hamas-led terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

Israeli restaurants, places of Jewish life, and sites of Jewish remembrance have been defaced and threatened.

"We are all called upon to show civil courage wherever we witness anti-Semitism, racism, or discrimination," Merz added at the reception marking the 75th anniversary of the Central Council of Jews, which was founded just five years after the Nazi Holocaust.

He paid extensive tribute to the role and contributions of the council.

"The Federal Republic would have been forever uprooted without Jewish life and Jewish culture in our country," the chancellor said.

"I want to say to the Jewish people in Germany today: Without you, there can be no good future for the Federal Republic."