The diplomatic uproar over the Der Spiegel report about German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s despair over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and of the ongoing construction in the settlements is not damaging Netanyahu politically. On the contrary. However, anyone who has spoken with senior German officials over the past two years knows that the claims that Germany is less inclined to unconditionally support Israel, which has since been denied (at least partially) by sources close to the chancellor, is a reliable reflection of reality. Germany, Israel’s most important ally in Europe, feels Netanyahu is leading it by the nose and taking it for granted while he keeps boosting the settlement enterprise.
Senior Israeli politicians, including those on the right, have been hearing the same thing for a long time. They sound like a cry for help from a true friend who is deeply committed to the relationship with Israel by historical bonds and a sense of guilt. Thus, the report in the German magazine came as no surprise. It seemed to echo the same past voices of despair and ratchet up the pressure on Israel to revive a diplomatic process with the Palestinians, or at least to stop construction in the West Bank.
