WhatsappGerman citizens, please note: doing business with Jews in their ancestral homeland could risk your
reputation.
Germany’s official guidance cautions against doing business with Israelis in Judea and Samaria —
the very region historically tied to the Jewish people.While declaring unconditional support for the
Jewish state, the European nation discourages engaging in activities with Israelis who live and work
in the land where Abraham once walked.
In its foreign ministry website, Germany warns:
“Financial transactions, investments, purchasing and procurement, and other economic activities
(including tourism and other service sectors) in or for the benefit of Israeli settlements give rise to
legal and economic risks… German companies and private individuals should also be aware of the
potential reputational risks.”
Reputational risks? For visiting or doing business with Jews in Hebron, Efrat or Shiloh?
As a German citizen and a Bible-believing woman, I reject this ‘advice’ — not just because I believe
it is wrong, but because it is morally incoherent, historically blind, and legally flawed.
It is true that since October 7th, Germany has stood as one of Israel’s strongest allies. In a world
where moral clarity is rare, this is not something I take for granted. As we mark 60 years of
diplomatic relations between Germany and Israel, we rightly celebrate the remarkable achievements
born of this relationship — a bond all the more extraordinary given Germany’s history.
I am proud of our government’s general pro-Israel stance and of the police who act swiftly against
hate-filled, anti-Israel protests on our streets. However, in recent weeks, Germany’s support for Israel
has felt like a bit of a yo-yo. From harsh criticism of Israel’s current conduct of war in Gaza to
supportive remarks like “Israel is doing the dirty work for us in Iran”, the stance seems to have
become a bit unreliable. At the heart of this tension lies a deeper issue: support for Israel as a matter
of Staatsräson (Germany’s official reason of state) but without a genuine alignment with Israel’s
biblical and ancestral roots. And that’s where I feel compelled to speak up.
For all the right words and show of solidarity for Israel, there remains a glaring contradiction at the
heart of Germany’s support for Israel — its stance on Judea and Samaria, as well as the Golan
Heights. I have walked through these regions many times. They are not just strategic areas on a
map. They are the very soul of the Jewish people.
Now, you may ask yourself while reading this article: why does it matter what Germany thinks?
Because of its Holocaust legacy, status as Europe’s largest economy, and key role in the EU and
NATO, Germany’s policies heavily influence Israel’s diplomatic support, security, and economy.
How Germany frames issues like settlements shapes broader European and global views — making
its position crucial to Israel’s legitimacy worldwide.
On June 5th, 2025, Foreign minister of Germany Johann Wadephul said, “Even as friends, we
cannot ignore this”, standing alongside his Israeli counterpart Gideon Sa’ar in Berlin. “We reject
this, because the settlement policy in this form is contrary to international law. It literally obstructs
the two-state solution — and that is the solution that we as the German government continue to
stand for.”
Recently, Israeli ministers announced they had approved 22 new Jewish settlements in the West
Bank, amounting to a major expansion.
I am struck by a painful irony: the very country that claims to support Israel “unconditionally”
continues to delegitimize the land most central to Jewish history — due to its iron-clad commitment
to the two-state solution. Germany cannot claim to stand with Israel while complaining about the
Jewish people building on the very land that gives Israel its soul. It refuses to recognize Israeli
sovereignty over these areas, citing “international law,” “occupation,” and “settler violence.” But
let’s look closer.
What International Law Really Says
One often hears that Israeli settlements are “illegal under international law.” But that claim falls
apart when examined in context.
The legal basis for Jewish settlement in Judea and Samaria begins with the San Remo Resolution of
1920 and the Mandate for Palestine, established by the League of Nations. These documents
recognized the Jewish people’s historical connection to the land and granted them the legal right to
settle throughout the territory — including Judea and Samaria.
This legal framework was never rescinded. When the United Nations inherited the obligations of the
League of Nations, it affirmed that existing mandates remained valid under Article 80 of the UN
Charter. That means the Jewish right to settle in all parts of Mandatory Palestine — including the
so-called West Bank, remains protected under international law.
So where does the accusation of illegality come from?
Primarily from Article 49(6) of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits an occupying power
from forcibly transferring its population into occupied territory. But that clause was created to
prevent crimes like Nazi Germany’s forced deportations — not to bar Jews from voluntarily
returning to their ancestral lands.
In Judea and Samaria, Jews are not being transferred. They are returning — by choice, by heritage.
Before 1967, there was no legitimate sovereign power over the West Bank. When Israel reclaimed it
during a defensive war, it wasn’t conquest — it was homecoming. The term “occupied” is a political
tool, not a legal truth. Judea and Samaria are the heart of Jewish civilization. Abraham walked this
land. King David reigned in Hebron. Prophets lived and spoke in Shiloh. The land was in fact
illegally occupied by Jordan from 1948 to 1967 but not many people in this world seem to care
about it. When Israel regained control in 1967, it wasn’t conquering a foreign land. The Jewish
people were coming home.
So, let’s drop the myth once for all and become loud about it: the Jewish presence in Judea and
Samaria is not a violation of international law. And if this territory is truly contested, then the
presence of Palestinian Arabs should be just as controversial. Yet somehow, it never is. The
international community seems to reserve its outrage exclusively for Israel, ever so eager to accuse it
of breaking international law.
Today, the term “settlements” is often weaponized to portray Jews as foreign occupiers in their own
ancestral homeland — a distortion of both history and legality. The Article 49(6) of the Fourth
Geneva Convention, which prohibits the forcible transfer of an occupying power’s population into
occupied territory, does not apply to the voluntary movement of Jewish families into Judea, Samaria,
and the Golan Heights. Israel has not forced its population into these areas; rather, those who settle
there do so of their own free will, drawn by deep historical and spiritual ties to the land.
When I visited the heartland communities, I didn’t see extremists. I saw families, teachers, farmers,
and entrepreneurs — people rooted in faith and building dignified lives. During a recent trip to the
Golan Heights, I met a passionate winemaker who had left behind the bustle of city life to cultivate
vineyards and craft exceptional wines. For him, this wasn’t just a profession — it was a spiritual
calling, a tangible fulfillment of biblical prophecy, where returning Jews reconnect with the land
through its fruit. I tasted his white, red, and rosé wines, each a testament to his dedication, while
taking in the peace and beauty of the Golan.
And yet, it pained me deeply to realize that the politics of my own country — and of the European
Union — would dismiss this man and his work as illegitimate, branding him as an “occupier.” This
narrative does more than distort reality; it paints honest, hardworking people as villains, erasing
their humanity and rewriting the story of a people returning home. According to EU law, products
from Judea and Samaria and the Golan cannot be labeled as “made in Israel”. To imply that their
products are from “from occupied territory” is not only unjust; it mirrors the discriminatory tactics
of the BDS movement, which seeks to delegitimize Israel through economic warfare.
And now to the big elephant in the room of European courts and parliaments: the topic of Israeli
settlers and “settler violence”? While every act of violence must be condemned, this issue is often
exaggerated and lacks context. How often do so-called “settlers” engage in violence? Many of those
labeled as such are among the most peaceful and coexistence-oriented people I’ve met. Jewish and
Arab residents often live, work, and share spaces side by side. The “settler violence” narrative
distracts from the real issue: the Islamic-ideology driven antisemitism and the ongoing terror that
Israelis face.
Why is it that in the German public discourse, and in fact in the EU generally, the spotlight is always
on Israel’s “illegal” settlements, but there is hardly ever any mention of the fact that there are
thousands of illegal buildings made by the Palestinian Arabs in Judea Samaria. Driving by and
having been in these areas myself, I have seen with my own eyes how much empty land and half
finished luxury buildings there are in the Arab towns in Judea Samaria. Many of those branded as
“settlers” are peaceful, coexistence-minded citizens who share markets, schools, and public spaces
with Arab neighbors. Meanwhile, Germany is oddly silent about the Palestinian Authority’s Pay-for-
Slay policy — state-sponsored salaries for terrorists who kill Jews. How can Germany preach “never
again” while funding a regime that incentivizes the killing of Jews?
Sadly, even among many Jews and non-Jewish Israel supporters in Germany, there’s a tendency to
draw a line between “Israel proper” and the so-called “West Bank.” My question to them is this:
have you been there? Have you stood in Shiloh or entered the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron? If
not, you’re letting the same people who chant “from the river to the sea,”define your story. I would
like to remind them that the Nazis of our times also call the Jewish people living in “Israel proper”
as settlers who do not have the right to exist anywhere in the land of Israel.
I personally believe with all the vicious anti-Israel propaganda and measures to delegitimise the state
of Israel, it is imperative that Germany recalibrates the conversation on the heartland areas of Israel.
But even without political shifts, we must demand intellectual honesty. I do wish my country’s
government would not hide behind vague appeals to “international law” without acknowledging its
historical foundations or claim unconditional support while echoing the rhetoric of Israel’s enemies.
The voices against Israel are loud. While many people who have a moral clarity can see that Israel is
fighting for the whole free world and what happened on October 7th or the current Iranian attacks
on Israeli civilians is clearly evil and wrong, there seems to be less clarity on the topic of
international law with regards to Israeli settlements in Judea-Samaria and the Golan. A quick
internet search yields a flood of headlines declaring settlements illegal, while context and counter-
arguments are buried deep. Most people won’t dig. And so, half-truths become headlines. Lies
become facts. It’s time to flip the script. Truth needs a microphone — so let’s raise our voices and
never let silence speak louder than justice.
Judea-Samaria, and the Golan are not obstacles to peace. They are the pillars of Jewish identity and
resilience. If Germany truly stands with Israel, it must stop denying this truth.
