For too long, Israel has allowed Germany to intervene in its internal affairs. Many funds have flowed from the German state coffers - through government offices, political foundations and other bodies - into the pockets of "civilian" organizations that are almost completely identified with one political camp in Israel: the left. This is at the same time as the most generous funding of the delegitimization campaign in Israel, in Israel and abroad.
Only in recent years has this problematic German involvement begun to rise on the public agenda in Israel. The issue made headlines when former German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel refused to meet representatives of organizations from the right during a visit to the country, preferring to meet with demonstrations only with organizations that the German government identified with their activities as "breaking the silence". In October last year, Prime Minister Netanyahu, in his summit with Chancellor Merkel, raised the issue of German funding for bodies promoting de-legitimization to Israel, including those in Germany. This "impudence" prompted an incitement campaign against the Israeli government for its "intervention" in Germany's internal affairs. Germany is allowed to advance a leftist agenda in Israel, and Israel is not allowed to protest the financing of leftist activities against it by Germany - including the boycott of its boycott and its denial - since it is a "German face".
On the other hand, when the German political establishment needs to back up its boycott policy towards the nationalist-populist right-wing party, the "alternative to Germany" - which threatens the old political order in the country - disappears in one of the German sensitivities to Israeli intervention in its domestic affairs. This is becoming even more desirable. Israel's official representatives in Germany are recruiting and recruiting for a public political media campaign against a party, which is currently the third largest in Bundestag, and in some counties has become the second largest. They were also involved in trying to secure the continuation of the "alternative" boycott in light of the significant electoral gains it made in the recent East German provincial elections. In one dramatic case, the state of Thuringia, which is now shaking the entire German political system - the promises made to Israeli representatives for not cooperating with the "alternative" have collapsed
The new reality in Germany. And in Thuringia the most problematic stream of "alternative" is represented.
"An alternative to Germany" is a fascinating phenomenon in German politics, the result of the Euro crisis and the refugee crisis. Treating it as a neo-Nazi right-wing party would be a mistake. It has the most problematic currents, which try to "catch a ride" on its success, to instill in the legitimate political discourse extreme, racist, anti-Semitic and revisionist worldviews. But such can be found, in one form or another, in one dose or another, even in the other German parties.
The removal of the "alternative" boycott in Thuringia does not indicate that the Fourth Reich is in the doorway, but rather a rebuilding of the right-wing camp in Germany. And in this process, Israel should refrain from any involvement. For years the Germans have told us that they have built a strong and exemplary democracy. If this is the case, they will know how to contain the "alternative" and deal with its problematic streams. If this is not the case, no Israeli intervention will save Germany. Most importantly, our intervention in the German affairs justifies their intervention in our case, and this is invalid.
Israel needed to find pipelines for the "alternative," a party whose efforts to advance the Bundestag several pro-Israel initiatives led the establishment parties to finally do something about the BDS or Hezbollah. By the way, the neo-Nazi right in Germany is attacking the "alternative" for being a pro-Israeli party. Giving the public voters and elected officials in Germany an important feeling as Germany the feeling of being referred to as "Nazis", just because of a lack of understanding of German reality, is a long-term mistake. Each one should be examined according to their actions and words.
A clear list of criteria should be the condition for dialogue between Israel and the new right-wing parties in Europe. Israel is a sovereign state with its own interests, and to safeguard those interests from outside intervention, it must avoid such intervention itself. Just as Israeli representatives have been careful not to attack Jeremy Corbyn, they should refrain from attacking the "alternative" and refrain from acting publicly against it.