Culture of fear imposed on German civil servants opposed to pro-Israel policy

Berlin accused of attempting to suppress internal dissent for those on government's payroll who have reacted to conflict between Israel and Palestinians

People protesting for the rights of Palestinians and against the Israeli military bombardment of Gaza at Alexanderplatz in Berlin. Getty Images

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Senior German civil servants have revealed an intimidatory and stifling atmosphere within the government that has acted to suppress dissent at the country’s support for Israel, particularly over the handling of public protests and arms export policy.

Leaked emails showed the German Ministry of Education was attempting to impose sanctions on scholars who had signed a trailblazing letter setting out objections to Berlin’s official stance. The government’s reaction had a chilling effect on those involved. “Nobody really wants to speak out any more,” said one government official. “Not even anonymously.”

Six months into Israel’s bloody campaign in the Gaza Strip that has cost about 42,000 Palestinian lives, hundreds of German civil servants had demanded a stop to arms exports from Germany to Israel. The open letter in April addressed members of the “security cabinet” consisting of Chancellor Olaf Scholz and important members such as the foreign minister, the interior minister and their defence colleague.

“Israel is committing crimes in Gaza that are in clear contradiction to international law and thus to the constitution, which we are bound to as federal civil servants and public employees,” the statement said.

Since it was sent, there has been no reaction, according to two of the initiators of the letter who spoke to The National, other than the fostering of a stricter disciplinary atmosphere. Both spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the topic.

Inside German offices of power, the intimidation of employees to stay silent on policy towards Israel has increased, one of the government workers, who works in senior management for a German ministry, told The National.

Germany's internal intelligence service, the Verfassungsschutz (Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution) told The National it conducted 80,000 security checks on employees and others last year. A spokesman highlighted its annual report that noted the impact on Germany of the Hamas attacks of October 7, including the subsequent rise in anti-Semitic activity, as a development requiring "special consideration". It said "liking" statements online "could be sufficient evidence in individual cases that the person concerned poses a security risk" in its assessment processes.

The Interior Ministry said staff in sensitive security jobs must be loyal to Germany's postwar constitutional order and keep their distance from groups opposed to it, but said people do not generally fail security screenings on the basis of their political opinions. It said regular reviews at five and 10-year intervals could be brought forward if there were "indications of a possible security risk", but declined to give figures on the number of checks since the Hamas attack on Israel.

Germany has been a key ally of Israel since its post-war years and regularly sells weapons of war to its ally in the Middle East. In 2023, it provided 30 per cent of the Israeli military’s imported weapons, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, second only to the US. Past exports have included engines for its Merkava tanks and Namer armoured personnel carriers, as well as Matador anti-tank weapons believed to have been used in the Gaza Strip.

The sales were worth $354.4 million last year but have dwindled in 2024 in what some see as an arms embargo by stealth. In response to a recent parliamentary question, the Economy Ministry revealed only $16 million worth of exports were approved from January to August, with $35,812 in weapons for actual fighting. The ministry's latest figures show Israel does not feature in the top 10 importers of German hardware this year.

Despite the falling arms sales, Berlin’s political support for Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has generally remained steady even as the bombing of civil infrastructure and displacement in Gaza continues. The German government made a submission against the application for arrest warrants for Mr Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant at the International Criminal Court in The Hague by arguing the legal question of complementarity "cannot be decided during an ongoing armed conflict”. The government of Mr Scholz, a Social Democrat, has also sided with Israel in the genocide case by South Africa before the International Court of Justice.

Germany itself was brought before the UN's highest court over alleged breaches of the Genocide Convention, but won a partial victory when judges denied Nicaragua's request for an arms embargo. Meanwhile, the police have been cracking down on peaceful protests and banned conferences such as the “Palestine Congress” in Berlin, where speakers such as Ghassan Abu Sitta and Yanis Varoufakis had been scheduled to appear. The event was stormed by riot police. Since October 7 last year, hundreds of events set to feature Palestinian speakers have been cancelled.

After the barrage of Iranian missiles fired on Israel last week seemingly opened a new phase in the conflict, protests erupted in support of Palestine and Lebanon in Berlin, where several hundred people joined two demonstrations. Media reported that protesters cheered in support of the Iranian attack. The police dispersed one demonstration after “forbidden slogans were chanted” and several people were detained. Berlin's mayor, Kai Wegner (CDU) and Germany's Interior Minister, Nancy Faeser (SPD), criticised the “scenes of jubilation”. There "is no justification for Iran's missile attacks”, Ms Faeser said.

To be able to pursue this policy, Germany must ensure the support of people working for the government, employees say. In ministries and other authorities, this is achieved mainly through intimidation, the two civil servants told The National. “It is a climate of intense fear and intimidation that extends even into the family circle,” the senior manager said. Some colleagues “no longer come to work at all”.

When a critical remark on the conflict is made in internal meetings, “first there is a silence and then the highest members take the floor to dismiss the comment”.

The Foreign Ministry is headed by the Green Party politician Annalena Baerbock, who has faced criticism for rejecting calls for a ceasefire in the past. Together with the Chancellor's office, her department draws up German foreign policy. There is “a complete lack of understanding about the management's actions”, one of the initiators said of the Foreign Ministry. “No one knows how to justify this any more.”

Colleagues who have spoken out on the subject had to undergo a security check by the respective ministry, the senior manager suspects. The procedure is customary for employees who deal with confidential documents and usually is carried out before the person starts working for the authorities. The check is designed to rule out “doubts that a person is committed” to the German constitution, according to a document, the ministries attach with the questionnaire.

“If someone stands out for critically questioning the German position, they'll get mail,” said the senior manager, who has internally criticised her government's support for Israel and has been requested to undergo a new check. The ministry told the manager their security clearance was “too far in the past” and they were asked to renew it, as part of a “routine check”.

The National has obtained such a questionnaire. It contains questions about the employee's family and country of origin, as well as “contacts with foreign intelligence services” and “anti-constitutional organisations”.

Furthermore, employees are asked to provide links to social media accounts such as Facebook and X, which are then monitored by authorities.

The public letter from university professors against a violent police crackdown on a pro-Palestine camp at Berlin's Free University resulted in a “mood [that] has been very restrained and anxious”, the other initiator, who is a legal expert, told The National.

Sending the letter in April, the group of government workers had hoped to exert some influence on German policy-making towards Israel. Because intimidation inside the ministries has only increased, there is a sense of hopelessness, the civil servants said. “We don’t expect the federal government to change its course whatsoever,” the senior manager said.

Internationally, public officials are increasingly rallying against western support of Israel. Germany is coming under increasing international pressure due to its continued support for the Israeli campaign in the Gaza Strip and its crackdown on critical voices in the country.