Intelligence Services and Foreign Policy: German-Israeli Intelligence and Military Co-operation

Abstract

German-Israeli relations were often characterised as a one-way street, with emphasis on Germany's historical commitment to support Israel due to the Holocaust and the crimes of the National Socialist regime. What is not known is that Germany's security interests benefited enormously from its intelligence and military co-operation relations with Israel. This article analyses the development of German-Israeli intelligence and military co-operation, explores the interests which motivated it and examines how covert co-operation influenced the overall bilateral relations between the countries. The article argues that it was not only historical legacy but firm realpolitik security interests which motivated consecutive German governments to undertake significant political risks in conducting its secret relations with Israel. The success of this secret co-operation contributed significantly to the security of the Federal Republic and its contribution to NATO's Cold War European strategy.