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BERLIN — A commitment in writing for the “right of the State of Israel to exist” is now a requirement to become a German citizen in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, a local official announced.
Regional Interior Minister Tamara Zieschang said Tuesday that the decree was issued at the end of November, underlining that Israel’s “right to exist” is a “raison d’état” for Germany. The French term, meaning a fundamental principle of state, was first used by then-Chancellor Angela Merkel at the Knesset in 2008, and repeated by leading politicians since Oct. 7, to describe Germany’s historical responsibility for the Holocaust, in which 6 million Jews were murdered.
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Any applicant who fails to submit the declaration should be denied naturalization, the decree reads. Zieschang said attention should also be paid to whether an applicant shows “indications that antisemitic attitudes are present.”
The letter sent to local authorities adds that naturalization should be denied if an applicant pursues “activities that are against the liberal democratic basic order,” as described in Germany’s constitution. This also includes “antisemitic offenses or the denial of Israel’s right to exist,” the letter states.
While limited to the state of Saxony-Anhalt for now, the new requirement reflects a wider debate in Germany over the country’s planned citizenship revision that is expected within a matter of months.
The biggest parliamentary opposition group, the conservative CDU/CSU, has also called for a signed statement confirming “Israel’s right to exist” as a prerequisite for citizenship.
The conservative draft law also proposes that non-German nationals convicted of a crime deemed to have had “antisemitic” motives should result in the “loss of humanitarian protection in Germany,” which would usually result in deportation, while dual German nationals should lose their German citizenship if they receive a prison sentence of at least one year for a crime judged to have had “antisemitic” motives.
The three governing parties, the Social Democrats, the Greens and the business-friendly Free Democrats, want to stipulate that “antisemitic attitudes or actions” rule out naturalization.
Following a crackdown on pro-Palestinian voices in Germany in recent weeks, concerns are growing that Germany’s federal citizenship revision will target voices critical of the Israeli government and naturalization could be denied to anyone who has expressed support for Palestinians.
As the nationality law currently stands, applicants for naturalization are required to score at least 50 percent on a 33-question citizenship test, show proficiency in at least intermediate German, provide proof of independent financial support and have resided in Germany for eight years — in some cases less.
The revision plans could see the residency requirement slashed to five years, or in some cases three, and also enable dual citizenship for non-European Union citizens, which for now is only possible in exceptional cases.