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Germany Must Have Israel's Back

(Wall Street Journal Europe) Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg and Ulf Gartzke - Germany bears a special historical and moral responsibility to support Israel against an Iranian threat. First, Israel's leaders and the Israeli public view the Iranian peril primarily through the prism of the Holocaust. Proponents of a military strike on Iran often point to the Shoah as ultimate proof that Tehran's threats to destroy the State of Israel must be taken seriously. Second, ever since she became the first German chancellor to address the Knesset, in 2008, Angela Merkel has repeatedly declared that "Israel's security is part of Germany's raison d'etre" and that it can "never be negotiable." What's missing, however, is a broader debate - both in public and among top German officials - about what Berlin should do if diplomacy fails and Israel is compelled to take military action against the Iranian nuclear threat. Germany's first priority should be to offer Israel civil and military assistance to defend against potential counterattacks. Finally, Germany needs to marshal its full political and economic weight to maintain a tough international sanctions regime against Tehran. Mr. zu Guttenberg is a former German defense minister, now at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Mr. Gartzke teaches at Georgetown University's BMW Center for German and European Studies.
2013-04-04 00:00:00
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