Germany Must Stop Enabling Hamas and Antisemitism

The German government refuses to accept the very basic fact that, after the October 7, 2023, massacre of Israeli civilians led by Hamas, things cannot go back to the status quo ante. Instead of taking firm action against the roots of terrorism in Gaza, Germany clings to ineffective policies, such as financial support for UNRWA and diplomatic games that do not tackle the actual threats to Israel. By prioritizing optics over real security concerns, Berlin is failing both its own values and the very people it claims to support.

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Hamas is not a political movement with whom one can negotiate; it is a terrorist organization whose charter explicitly calls for the destruction of Israel. The events of October 7, where Hamas terrorists slaughtered over 1,200 Israelis in cold blood, proved beyond doubt that they are not interested in ceasefires or peace. Their strategy has always been to weaponize civilian casualties, both Israeli and Palestinian, to manipulate international sympathy, knowing full well that Western nations will call for restraint whenever Israel retaliates.

Yet, despite this, Germany and other Western countries continue to work for a negotiated solution and the return to a two-state framework without recognizing, first and foremost, that Hamas needs to be eradicated. The notion of a sustainable peace while Hamas continues to exert some control over Gaza is not only naive; it is perilous. It is a guarantee of massacres to come. Ignoring this reality is not diplomacy, it is complicity.

Another uncomfortable truth that Berlin refuses to acknowledge is that the problem in Gaza is not limited to Hamas alone. For years, Gazan society has been steeped in anti-Israel and antisemitic propaganda, indoctrinating generations into believing that Israel’s destruction is justified. This was reflected in the polls and public celebrations after the October 7 attack: many in Gaza support Hamas and its violent ambitions. If this ideology is not confronted, no peace process, no matter how well-intentioned, will ever succeed.

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Following World War II, Germany had to undergo a process of “Denazification,” systemic reeducation aimed at eradicating the Nazi ideology from public life. Something similar has to be done for Gaza as well. It would not have been sufficient just to dislodge Hamas as a militant entity; that poisonous ideology, too, had to be killed. Schools, media, and religious institutions inculcating antisemitic hate have to be demolished, while a new generation needs to be educated for peaceful coexistence with Israel. Yet, Germany, which understands better than most the consequences of ideological extremism, refuses to demand similar measures for Gaza.

While Israel is fighting for its life, Germany, along with the rest of the West, persists in its call for “de-escalation” and “proportionality,” as if Israel had any option but to defend itself aggressively. Calls for restraint are willfully blind to the fact that Hamas and fellow terror groups stand irrevocably committed to Israel’s destruction and will cynically exploit every ceasefire to rearm. Pretending that a ceasefire equals peace is an act of self-deception that only benefits the terrorists.

If anyone should be aware that evil needs to be confronted resolutely, not appeased, it is Germany. And yet Berlin’s foreign policy remains set on vague diplomatic initiatives, bypassing the basic question: How can peace be attained when one party denies the right of the other even to exist?

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But one of the worst German policy failures has to do with the continued financing of UNRWA, which time and again has proven its connection with Hamas. Recent revelations have exposed the fact that scores of UNRWA employees took active part in the massacre committed on October 7. Beyond that, UNRWA-run schools have been caught spreading Hamas propaganda, glorifying terrorism, and even hiding weapons for militants. So far, Germany has not frozen its funds; its taxpayer money indirectly aids an institution complicit in nurturing terror.

Any serious attempt to build a peaceful future for Gaza has to start with the defunding of UNRWA. As long as German and EU money is flowing into an organization that aids and abets Hamas’s influence, Germany isn’t promoting peace – it’s enabling terrorism.

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If Germany is to really contribute toward peace, it needs to get rid of this outdated thinking. Yes, Gaza needs to be rebuilt, but only after Hamas is defeated to the core and a new government, sans any extremist elements, is in place. Not a single penny for reconstruction should be released before being guaranteed that this money is not flowing into terror tunnels, rocket production, or to Hamas operatives. Anything less than ironclad oversight means repeating the same mistakes that led to this crisis.

What’s more, any future governance over Gaza cannot include any groups that refuse to recognize Israel’s right to exist. Whether through an Arab-led coalition, international oversight, or a completely new political entity, the leadership structure of Gaza needs to be remade from the ground up in order to avoid repeating history. If Germany genuinely supports a Palestinian state, it should demand that its leadership meets the minimum standard of accepting its neighbor’s right to exist.

But the consequences of Germany’s weak response go beyond Gaza. October 7 was not just an attack on Israel—it emboldened antisemitism worldwide. From pro-Hamas rallies in Western cities to physical attacks on Jewish community centers, the global surge in Jew-hatred proves that this is not just a regional conflict.

In Germany today, Jewish facilities need much more protection, while at the same time, demonstrators who chant slogans for Israel’s annihilation face little to no legal consequences. That is complete hypocrisy: a country that loudly proclaims—and rightly so, its historical obligation toward the life of the Jews does not consider it necessary or worthwhile to confront modern antisemitism head-on.

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The “Free Palestine” rallying cry is, more often than not, a euphemism for Israel’s destruction, and yet it is tolerated everywhere. It is this reality that Germany does not confront, despite its repeated pledges of ‘Never Again.’

The world changed on October 7, but the German government is in denial. The politics of appeasement, blind humanitarian aid, and diplomatic ambiguity are no longer valid.

If Berlin is earnestly for peace and justice, then it must do the following:

• Support Israel’s right to eliminate Hamas entirely, without conditions.
• Halt funding to UNRWA and demand actual transparency of where aid money goes.
• Acknowledge that the people in Gaza need ideological re-education if the vicious circle of hate is ever to be broken.
• Reject false equivalencies between Israel’s self-defense and Hamas’ terrorism.
• Take concrete action against rising antisemitism at home and abroad.

Israel cannot afford to repeat the mistakes of the past. Nor can Germany afford to repeat its own.