The German government loves individuals like Omri Boehm, an Israeli who believes and declares that there is a grave problem in Israel being a Jewish state.
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A philosophy lecturer in New York, Boehm received his post-doctorate in Munich a few years ago and has since become the darling of the German media, which is thirsty for critics of Israel and the Jews.
In fact, there is an actual term for "criticism of Israel" in the German language, Israelkritik. There is no such equivalent to describe critique of any other country. Not China, not Russia or Iran. As far as the German media is concerned, the more you criticize Israel, the better.
In his latest book, Israel - eine Utopie, Boehm blows the idea of a Jewish state to pieces, claiming that Israel cannot be a Jewish state and a liberal democracy at the same time, primarily due to the fact that only someone of Jewish descent, or religiously converted, can become an Israeli citizen.
Boehm's book was published at the same time when former President Donald Trump announced his "deal of the century," that Washington was going to recognize Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria.
In his book, Boehm introduced the idea of an ethnically neutral state, where Israel and the "occupied territories" become a federal, binational republic. His concept is based on former Prime Minister Menachem Begin's autonomy plan, according to which Palestinian residents of Judea and Samaria and the Gaza Strip would receive administrative autonomy after signing a peace deal with Israel. Begin's vision never came to fruition, mostly due to resistance from the Palestinian side.
The Palestinian stance on the matter has not changed, but it seems that it is of no interest to Boehm. Just like many other leftists, he prefers to turn a blind eye to the problematic reality of the Palestinian stance and shift the entire blame onto "occupier" Israel.
Boehm's book was, of course, well-received by the German media, which was back then in an ardent war trying to get the German parliament not to declare the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement antisemitic.
Boehm readily joined their fight. After the Bundestag deemed the BDS movement antisemitic, he published an article in German weekly Die Zeit, saying, "The anti-BDS ruling makes it clear that the Bundestag must change its definition of antisemitism while keeping the fight against Jew-hatred a top national interest.
"The debate is not about the existence of the State of Israel, but about its right to be a Jewish state," he wrote. "It is not antisemitic to question this right."
In an interview with Qantara, a German monthly funded by the Foreign Ministry covering events in the Middle East, Boehm called on the German government to expand what is considered legitimate criticism of Israel.
"What is currently considered as legitimate criticism of Israel is very limited," he said. "Of course, one can express criticism against the occupation, [Opposition Leader Benjamin] Netanyahu, and the Israeli government. However, a discussion on whether the establishment of a Jewish state was legitimate is considered unacceptable, despite the fact that the very definition of a 'Jewish' state contradicts the idea of liberal democracy.
"The same goes for Nakba [the displacement of Palestinian refugees during Israel's 1948 War of Independence]. Whenever one attempts to raise this subject, one is immediately accused of antisemitism. It is impossible to simply state the facts. For example, that within Israel's borders, three million Palestinians live under brutal military law without being recognized as Israeli citizens. The Germans do not want to see this."
In his interview, Boehm also called on the German government to adopt a new approach to Israel, saying, "Germany should take responsibility for the past, but not guilt."
In another article, published in the Los Angeles Review of Books in 2016, after the BDS movement called on American academics to boycott their Israeli colleagues, Boehm wrote, "I am not an Israeli academic, rather an Israeli and an academic.
"In the past, I supported Israelis who chose to go to prison instead of doing military service in the occupied territories. A Jewish country cannot function as a liberal democracy, and as such, one cannot strongly oppose BDS. We've come to a point where we need to get our hands dirty to fight for Palestinian rights, to boycott, divest and sanction Israeli institutions to pressure the Israeli government to bring about some change."
What Boehm seems to be forgetting is that boycotting Israeli academics would constitute a violation of freedom of expression.
Considering all the above mentioned, one cannot help but wonder why German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier invited Boehm to join him on his recent trip to Jerusalem to visit outgoing Israeli President Reuven Rivlin?
The German government's platform states that it "recognizes Germany's special responsibility to Israel as a Jewish and democratic state." It seems that the German president is not obligated to follow his own government's official stance.
Many members of Steinmeier's Social Democratic Party did not want to include this responsibility in the government's platform. Perhaps Steinmeier invited Boehm on his diplomatic visit in order to please those individuals ahead of the upcoming elections.
Boehm's invitation is the latest in a series of hypocritical actions on behalf of the German government regarding Israel. They claim unwavering support to the Jewish state, but in reality, they consistently work to undermine Israel and get involved in its political affairs to create an extreme left-wing government that would undermine the country's Jewish character, essentially bringing the Jewish state to an end. If there is no Jewish state, then Germany will have no historical responsibility to bear.
The new government that took office in Israel is a dream come true for Germany. The timing of Steinmeier's visit allowed him to express badly-needed support to Israel's new leaders. At the same time, he did not make time to meet with Netanyahu.
For the German government, his ouster was an unexpected gift, for the Netanyahu administration that used to call it out for its hypocrisy is no longer in power.
Berlin was displeased with the previous government's preoccupation with German financial support of elements hostile to Israel or their votes against the Jewish state in international organizations.
Now Germany has the chance to return to the relationship routine that preceded Netanyahu's reign. Foreign Minister Yair Lapid will be busy with his Holocaust conflict with Poland, and the Foreign Ministry will be doing its utmost to silence any criticism of Germany.
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