Germany's foreign policy in the Middle East has always involved a delicate balancing act — a balancing act that just got a little more difficult. Israel's attack on Iran this week is likely to put further pressure on Germany's close relationship with Israel.

Israel's security is part of Germany's so-called "Staatsräson," or "reason of state." Former Chancellor Angela Merkel popularized the term when she addressed the Knesset, Israel's parliament, in 2008. Although the idea has no official legal standing, Merkel's successor, Olaf Scholz, doubled down on it in the months after the militant group Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023.

More recently though, the severe humanitarian consequences of Israel's ongoing offensive in the Gaza Strip have made it difficult for the German government to find a suitable position on the conflict there. Only a few days ago, Germany's new Chancellor Friedrich Merz said, "frankly speaking, I no longer understand what the goal of the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip is," during a television interview.

"Harming the civilian population to such an extent, as has increasingly been the case in recent days, can no longer be justified as a fight against Hamas terrorism," he told German public broadcaster WDR. Despite those statements though, there have been no consequences. For example, Germany continues to send weapons to Israel.

The Israeli government is........

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