Friedrich Merz is right: Israel is doing the dirty work for all of us

When German Chancellor Friedrich Merz looked into the camera of the German public-service television broadcaster ZDF and stated that Israel is doing “die Drecksarbeit für uns alle” (“the dirty work for all of us”), he sliced through the fog of polite diplomacy that usually cloaks Berlin’s Middle-East commentary.

Critics have dissected every syllable of Friedrich Merz’s statement, yet the core message remains unambiguous: Israel’s pre-emptive strikes against Iran’s nuclear and missile infrastructure are not a unilateral military initiative; they constitute a forward defense mission aimed at protecting both Israel and Europe’s democracies from a fundamentalist Islamist regime racing toward the bomb. This war is not confined to regional interests. It is a confrontation between a democratic, pluralistic society and a regime whose theocratic-ideological worldview constitutes an ongoing threat to freedom, security, and the foundational values of the liberal democratic order. In this context, the recent statement by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is remarkable in its clarity and blunt honesty.

Israel is doing the dirty work for all of us.
(Israel leistet die Drecksarbeit für uns alle.)

These words are not a gaffe. They are a ruthless truth that needed to be spoken. Friedrich Merz’s phrasing articulates a reality that many European leaders still refuse to acknowledge.

One need not endorse every aspect of Israeli military strategy to understand that Israel is not merely defending itself. It is also defending a world order that Iran openly seeks to undermine. Iran is not just another geopolitical actor; it is a revolutionary regime that uses proxies, spreads chaos across entire regions, and explicitly states its goal of wiping Israel off the map. Its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and affiliated militias – Hezbollah, the Houthis, and others – are waging an asymmetrical, ideological war not only against Israel but against the very principle of Jewish self-determination.

In this light, Israel is not just acting in its own national interest. It is on the front lines of a civilizational struggle – one that most Western democracies are not willing to confront directly yet. It is no coincidence that Iranian drones are now being used in Ukraine, that anti-Israel and anti-American slogans are increasingly fused, or that Islamist and antisemitic narratives are gaining traction in Western societies. Iran is a systemic adversary. And Israel is absorbing the blows that others in the West are neither prepared nor willing to face themselves.

Against this backdrop, Merz’s choice of words – “Drecksarbeit” – may sound harsh, but they are fitting. It is an honest acknowledgment of a role that is indispensable yet politically thankless. Israel is carrying out the kind of security operations that others shy away from, either out of fear, political calculation, or diplomatic inertia. While much of Europe flirts with appeasement, and while UN bodies repeatedly censure Israel while turning a blind eye to Tehran’s aggression, it is the IDF that are executing the hard tasks of real-world defense.

Unsurprisingly, Merz’s statement has provoked criticism. Some have accused him of coarsening political language. But such reactions reveal a deeper discomfort: many prefer euphemisms, half-truths, or moral relativism. They are unwilling to admit that Israel is engaged in a war not of its choosing, against an enemy that does not seek compromise but destruction. This is not a “conflict” between two symmetrical parties. It is not a matter for gentle diplomatic nuance. It is a war against Israel, against Jews, and against the core values of liberal democracy.

Israel has the right to defend its existence and the security of its citizens. The annihilation of the State of Israel is part of the reason of state of the mullah regime. Our reason of state is the defense of Israel’s existence.
(Israel hat das Recht, seine Existenz und die Sicherheit seiner Bürgerinnen und Bürger zu verteidigen. Teil der Staatsräson des Mullah-Regimes ist die Auslöschung des Staates Israel. Unsere Staatsräson ist die Verteidigung Israels in seiner Existenz.)

Germany often repeats that Israel’s security is part of its “Staatsräson” (“reason of state”), yet that mantra tends to evaporate the moment costs emerge. Friedrich Merz’s “dirty work” line drags the doctrine into daylight: if Israel’s security truly is a German interest, Berlin must admit it benefits directly from the latest Israeli sorties against Iran. Outsourcing operational and diplomatic risk to Israel while quietly harvesting strategic dividends is moral freeloading wrapped in the language of high principle. Pointing this out is not cynicism – it is intellectual honesty.

The fact that Israel is waging this war under constant threat, under intense international scrutiny, and often in political isolation is not merely a sign of resilience – it is an act of responsibility. And that responsibility deserves not just recognition, but full and sustained support. Those who now distance themselves from Israel – or who are uncomfortable with the costs of realpolitik – are, in effect, exchanging principle for convenience.

In this light, Friedrich Merz’s words may be uncomfortable—but they are necessary. He articulated openly what many in Europe think but hesitate to say: that Israel is fighting not only for its own survival, but for the security and stability of the democratic world. That Israel’s confrontation with Iran’s hegemonic ambitions is inextricably tied to European interests. And that the Jewish state has long understood the nature of the Iranian threat, while too many European leaders continue to cling to illusions.

Denying this reality helps no one. Acknowledging it is the first step toward a more honest and coherent foreign policy. One that understands that freedom is never cost-free, and that the values of the liberal democratic order require defence, not just declarations. For his clarity and courage, Friedrich Merz deserves respect. And Israel deserves our unwavering solidarity.