Germany and Israel have not succeeded in turning their historical connection into a shared project around which a true friendship can form.

Felix Berenskoetter argues that a shared commitment to the memory of the Holocaust and to Israel’s right to exist has not formed a true friendship between Germany and Israel. Disagreements about how Israel should handle its security in the face of potential threats from Iran show that a new debate about the nature of the relationship between the two countries and the shared project of Israel’s security is now needed.