Israel’s security is not Germany’s raison d’état, say majority of Germans backing ‘Never Again for all’

A landmark public opinion study has revealed that a significant majority of people in Germany reject their government’s unconditional support for Israel and favour a foreign policy guided by international law and human rights. The findings, published in the report Gaza, Israel, and German Foreign Policy: A View on Public Opinion (2025), highlight a striking disconnect between German public sentiment and official state policy.

According to the representative survey of over 1,000 residents conducted in August 2025, only 10 per cent fully agree with the long-standing political assertion that “Israel’s security is Germany’s raison d’état”. 

In German political discourse, the phrase “Israel’s security is Germany’s raison d’état” has come to symbolise a perceived moral obligation, rooted in Holocaust remembrance, to offer unwavering support for the Israeli state, often invoked to justify diplomatic and military backing regardless of Israel’s actions.

Sixty nine per cent believe that German foreign policy should be steered instead by international law and universal human rights, rather than by an unconditional alliance with Israel.

The survey also found that:

• 59 per cent of respondents consider Israel’s military offensive in Gaza to amount to genocide, aligning with the UN Commission of Inquiry’s September 2025 conclusion and previous findings by major human rights organisations.
• 65 per cent believe the Israeli army is committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
• 63 per cent say the former German government should have explicitly condemned Israeli war crimes from the outset of the assault on Gaza.
• 66 per cent support an immediate halt to arms exports to Israel.
• 51 per cent want Germany to suspend all military and police cooperation with Israel.
• 68 per cent believe the government should urge Israel to end the Gaza blockade and agree to a permanent ceasefire.

These findings stand in sharp contrast to Germany’s current and former governments, which have offered full diplomatic, military and political backing to Israel, including controversial arms exports during the Gaza genocide. The study makes clear that this position is out of step with a public increasingly informed by international law.

READ: Most Germans view Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide: Survey

The report further found that 56 per cent of Germans believe the country’s historical responsibility should apply to Jews as a people, but not to the Israeli state. A similar majority (61 per cent) insisted that criticism of Israel should not be conflated with anti-Semitism, challenging a widely used political narrative that equates support for Palestinian rights with racism.

When asked about measures the government should take:

53 per cent said they support an import ban on goods from illegal Israeli settlements. 52 per cent back the review or suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement over Israel’s human rights violations and 47 per cent said they support targeted sanctions on Israeli officials.

READ: Germany’s partial arms freeze to Israel garners 83% public approval

Germany has continued to oppose EU-wide efforts to hold Israel accountable and remains one of the few states defending Israel amid formal genocide proceedings at the International Court of Justice.

Despite this, the poll indicates that a shift in public opinion is underway. Nearly two-thirds (64 per cent) agree with the principle that “Never Again” must apply to all peoples, not just to Jews. Only 21 per cent support the notion that Germany’s historical duty requires unconditional support for Israel.