[74] Ibid., p.3. For more information or to opt-out of cookies, please view our Privacy Policy. The minutes quote him as saying that in regard to the deal with Saudi Arabia, at least until now he did not see a basis for a positive response. 392. For another quotation of the protocol note (which is not explicitly called protocol note or Israel clause here) see: AAPD 1982, Doc. Erinnerungen und Reflexionen (Berlin, 1998), p. 339 (acknowledging our historical responsibility toward the Jews of the world and thus toward Israel), compared to Helmut Schmidt/Fritz Stern, Unser Jahrhundert. On the German reception of the American Holocaust memory: Jacob Eder, Holocaust Angst. His answer was blunt: No, we do not allow another state or the government of another state to dictate us what to do and what not to do.[43] When Schmidt returned from his journey to Riyadh (where the tank issue had remained open), he was quoted by the magazine Der Spiegel as saying that West Germanys future foreign policy must not be overshadowed by Auschwitz.[44] And when Begin, as mentioned above, launched his public polemic against Schmidt soon thereafter, the immediate trigger for this was a TV interview by the chancellor in which he reflected on the historical burdens for Bonns external relations and leftnext to a number of at least rhetorical blundersa deafening silence on a possible commitment to Israel. Die SPD-Fraktion, der Waffenexport und die Kernenergie, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 18 February 1981. [55] As defense minister, Schmidt regarded Israel primarily as a strategic ally, as the only firmly Western-oriented state in the Middle East that was, in terms of defense, also very important for Germany, as Schmidt said in a cabinet meeting in 1971. [Saudi Foreign Minister] Prince [Saud al-] Faisal can expect an answer by Christmas. [49] BA, B 136/23369: Der Bundesminister der Finanzen, Staatssekretr Karl Otto Phl, an Bundesministerium fr Wirtschaft, Staatssekretr Detlev Carsten Rohwedder, 14.7.1975; AdsD, Depositum Helmut Schmidt, 1/HSAA007133: Bundeskanzler Helmut Schmidt an Bundesminister des Auswrtigen Hans-Dietrich Genscher, 4.3.1976; BA, B 102/272687: BMWi, Referat V B 6, 2.6.1980, bersichtsvermerk. 430, 27.5.1980. For a moment, there was the realistic prospect of a virtual collapse in German-Israeli reconciliation, which could hardly have been in the interest of the Federal Republic. So, on the one hand, Schmidt stressed repeatedly in closed meetings with Saudi leaders that his governments decision on the tank issue had nothing to do with any special consideration of Israel. [94] AAPD 1981, Doc. BEGIN REBUKES SCHMIDT FOR REMARK ON PALESTINIANS 74. [60] Even the successful U.S.-brokered peace process between Israel and Egypt from 1977 to 1979 was regarded by some European leaders only with reserve, as in their eyes it did not offer a sustainable solution for the Palestinian issue while isolating Egypt in the Arab world. Israels Move to the Right (New York, 1987), pp. Israel Schmidt - Owner - Schmidt Realty Inc | LinkedIn 339, Gesprch des Bundeskanzlers Schmidt mit dem israelischen Auenminister Dayan, 28.11.1977, pp. The formula which Genscher used here includedunlike the later BSR protocol notean explicit acknowledgement of Israels security interests.. At the same time, it was plausible to keep this self-obligation secret. Schmidts passing recalled the years when the countrys Wirtschaftswunder was ended by exploding oil prices; when left-wing terrorism challenged state and society; and when the Cold War intensified with the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the NATO double-track decision. Von Jerusalem nach Berlin und zurck eine diplomatische Reise, ZEIT Online, 20 March 2008, . According to the explanations Schmidt gave behind closed doors for this conduct, his concern was that a visit to Israel would create the impression of German support for Begins policy toward the Palestinians,[66] or that a meeting with the prime minister would inevitably lead to an open confrontation due to the dissent on Middle East issues. As Israeli ambassador Yitzchak BenAri (Meroz successor) reported confidentially from Bonn to Jerusalem in early January 1982, Schmidt had told his advisors that he changed his mind about Leopard2 deliveries to Saudi Arabia. [28] In 1977, the federal government had confidentially defined all countries that were part of the Israeli-Arab conflictincluding Saudi Arabia, and also Israelas belonging to an area of tension. WebPARIS Former West German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt revealed his Jewish origins to Valery Giscard dEstaing during a 1980 visit by the then French president, Giscard It is true that, according to the German record, the federal government successfully worked toward inserting an explicit recognition of Israels right to exist into the document. [66] AAPD 1978, Doc. 1311-1319 (1314). Der Bundeskanzler stellt hierzu ausdrcklich allgemeines Einverstndnis fest. PAAA, B150, 1982, VS-Bd. [19] Deutscher Bundestag, Stenographischer Bericht, 9. 17-25. WebChancellor Helmut Schmidt has come under a sharp attack from Christian Democratic oppostion leader Helmut Kohl who charged today that Schmidt was co-responsible for With the confidential protocol note, however, the federal government had an internal instrument to prevent clashes with Israel in terms of weapon deliveries to Arab states, while on the open stage, Schmidt could still emphasize West Germanys independence and sovereignty in arms export issuesthus underlining the increased self-confidence in international affairs which the Federal Republic had achieved by the early 1980s. However united West Germanys political class was in rejecting Begins diatribes against Schmidt,[87] the whole incident still seems to have left a certain shock effect on Bonns foreign policy establishment. 503-518; Shafir, Helmut Schmidt [as note 3], p. 303. And in regard to this demand, the Schmidt/Genscher government was virtually a pioneer among the EC member states. Before Brandts statement, Chancellor Schmidt had once again brought up his opinion (BK [Bundeskanzler] trgt erneut seine Auffassung vor). [42], Shortly before his visit to Saudi Arabia in April 1981where the possible weapons transfer was to be a high-priority topicthe chancellor was asked in an interview by German television whether the commitment toward Israel would lead his government to a restrained arms exports policy in the specific Saudi case. 40 Jahre deutsch-jdisch-israelische Beziehungen (Munich/Zrich, 1988), pp. 36-41; both on German-Israeli anti-terror cooperation and West German contacts with the PLO for the purpose of terrorism prevention: Tim Geiger, Westliche Anti-Terrorismus-Diplomatie im Nahen Osten, in Terrorismusbekmpfung in Westeuropa. For the various references to the Israel clause in the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs (BMWi), which was formally in charge of the approval of arms exports, see e.g., BA, B10/286457, Referat IV B 4 (Engel/Daase) an Minister [Lambsdorff], 26.5.1983. One might argue that in the Saudi tank deal affair, there was finally only one way for the Schmidt government to evade the unpleasant prospect that it had to give in to external pressure from Israel: to impose on itself a self-obligation, when it came to a historically-based commitment toward Israelas was done with the Israel clause in the German arms export guidelines of 1982. [46] Apparently, a genuine political solidarity with the Jewish state was not among the lessons from the Nazi past Schmidt was willing to accept.[47]. This chapter of the Saudi tank deal debate, however, is not dealt with in this essay, which focuses on Schmidts tenure as chancellor. [78] BA, B 136/33755, Auswrtiges Amt, Referat 310, 4.3.1980, Stellungnahmen und Initiativen der Bundesregierung zum Selbstbestimmungsrecht des palstinensischen Volkes und zu seiner Verwirklichung, p.9. II: 1969 bis heute. Real Estate Israel Weekly Update; The Weekend Edition The Best Reads of the Week; Weekly Highlights West German chancellor Helmut Schmidt dies at 96. Mein Leben fr Palstina. [35] And to avoid a possible misunderstanding: The Israel clause of 1982 was obviously not designed to promote German arms deliveries to Israel, but to prevent certain of such deliveries to certain Arab states. Helmut Schmidt became the head of Germany s Social Democratic Party in 1967 and deputy chairman of the party in 1968. [51] AdsD, Depositum Helmut Schmidt, 1/HSAA006567, Vermerk Bundeskanzler Helmut Schmidt, 18.4.1977; PAAA, B 150, 1977, VS-Bd. Sitzung, 30.1.1981, pp. Perhaps Schmidt simply tried to cover up the traces of a political defeat, and perhaps he did not want to be remembered as a chancellor who strove to lift the barriers for German arms exports. Presse- und Informationsamt der Bundesregierung (Bonn, 1978), pp. [1980, H.L.]. For the first time in the history of the Federal , Similarities and Differences in Approaching Racism in Germany and the United States Rising Relevance of Racism in Germany A series of racist murders has brought the issue of racism into , Transatlantic Solutions to Global Crises The AGI project Transatlantic Cooperation in Times of Global Crises Opportunity and Imperative for Cooperation took an expanded look at how Germany and the , American-German Institute1776 Massachusetts Ave NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20036 USA. As archival findings from the final stage of the Saudi tank deal debate suggest, a history-related sense of commitment to the Jewish state did indeed (unlike Schmidts public statements then) play a crucial role for the governments internal decision to refuse the arms delivery. All translations from German or Hebrew into English by the author. [91] Against this background, a somewhat enigmatic document from the Israel State Archives could well be understood. Ansprachen anlsslich der Gedenkfeier zum 9. [13] Koalitionsgesprch, 3.12.1980, protocol, pp. Europe, Israel and the Palestinians since 1967 (London, 2011). [6] Official sources about the Schmidt governments internal decision-making process suggest some conclusions on two controversial questions: why the Saudi tank deal debate started at all, and why it finally ended. Click "I Agree" below if you agree to allow cookies from AGI.