Germany and Israel

by Lavy,George

• ISBN13: 9780714646268
• ISBN10: 0714646261
• eBook ISBN(s): 9781135209094
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1996-10-31
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

In 1952, the Federal Republic of West Germany concluded a treaty with Israel whereby the Germans had to pay three billion Deutschmarks in compensation for the Holocaust. However, the Israelis felt that Germany owed Israel a moral as well as a financial debt, and thus expected further aid and protection. Although Germany made several concessions in favour of the Jewish State, particularly in the domain of armament, as Germany's political status increased, its national interest gradually took priority over that of Israel. George Lavy examines the grounds which motivated Germany to grant aid to Israel and the change in their relations as the German economy flourished and gained influence in world affairs.

Author Biography

Dr George Lavy was Senior Lecturer and Head of German Studies at the South Bank Polytechnic in London until his retirement in 1986.

Table of Contents

First contacts - compensation

The international political scene in the fifties

The question of diplomatic relations

The sale of arms and a secret arms agreement

German scientists help the Egyptians to prepare for war

The overcoming of the past and the prosecution of war criminals

1965 - year of crisis and crisis resolution

Normalization - the conflict between the moral debt and political realism

The Six Day War and the decline of the relationship

Another Middle East war - enter the European Community

The troubled 1980s

Moral debt or national interest?

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