A new and significant citizenship law has entered into force in Germany, with an explicit requirement for applicants to recognize the right of the State of Israel to exist.
Previously, Germany did not allow dual citizenship for first-generation immigrants, but Chancellor Olaf Schulz’s government has promised to shorten the waiting time for new citizens to obtain a German passport to five years.
But now, following the rising anti-Semitism, the growing debate about Israel’s war against Hamas and the rise in popularity of extreme right-wing politics against immigrants, it has been decided to reshape the procedure for obtaining citizenship in Germany and condition it on loyalty to German values.
Many immigrants come from Muslim countries, and following the outbreak of anti-Semitism, the government of the state of Saxony-Anhalt has already taken an immediate and extraordinary step and issued a decree saying that every naturalized person, that is, anyone who receives a German passport – in its territory, will now be obliged to sign a statement, in which he undertakes that he has never acted against the existence of the State of Israel, or expressed himself in an anti-Semitic manner. Theoretically, those who are found to have done so, even in retrospect, for example in demonstrations where anti-Semitic chants were heard, could face the cancellation of their citizenship.
Now, German Interior Minister Nancy Passer defined it this way: “Anyone who shares our values and makes an effort can now get a German passport faster and no longer have to give up part of their identity by renouncing their old nationality, but those who do not share our values cannot get German passport. We have drawn a clear red line here and made the law much stricter than before.”
German parliamentarians agreed on the legal basis for the new citizenship requirements in January, but the specific content of the citizenship test at its center is determined by government regulation. The Ministry of the Interior previously indicated that it intended to include questions about Judaism and Jewish life in Germany, but did not say whether it would include a specific statement regarding the State of Israel.
Germany was and remains one of Israel’s biggest supporters during the war. Many senior officials in the country have often spoken unequivocally in favor of Israel, demonstrations in support of Israel were held in the center of Berlin, and recently a kidnappers’ square was established there with chilling displays – to raise awareness of the return of the abductees.