Applicants for citizenship in the east German state of Saxony-Anhalt are now required to declare their support for Israel’s right to exist.
The new legislation was introduced in the wake of the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack against Israelis and amid the ongoing war between Israel and the group.
The decree states that Israel’s right to exist is Germany’s “Staatsräson” or “reason of state,” according to German news agency DPA, which has seen the document.
“Acquiring German citizenship requires a commitment to Israel’s right to exist,” the decree states. It adds that candidates must confirm in writing “that they recognize Israel’s right to exist and condemn any efforts directed against the existence of the State of Israel.”
Saxony-Anhalt’s Interior Minister Tamara Zieschang said in the letter to the state’s cities and districts that during the naturalization process attention should be paid to “whether there are indications that anti-Semitic attitudes exist,” the German newspaper reported. Tagesspiegel.
Citizenship should be denied if applicants have made efforts that go against the free and democratic order, including anti-Semitic crimes and the denial of Israel’s right to exist, the letter says.
Since October 7, German authorities have repeatedly stated that Israel’s security is “Germany’s raison d’état.”
In a speech to the Bundestag, Germany’s parliament, in the wake of the attacks, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said: “At this moment, there is only one place for Germany. It’s next to Israel.”
“This is what we mean when we say that Israel’s security is Germany’s raison d’être (reason of state).”
Source: CNN Brasil
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